P&G launches mentorship program with University of Nairobi.

University of Nairobi student Ms. Sharifa Ibfisam (left) explains a point to Procter & Gamble’s Country Manager Mr. Iacopo Pazzi (centre) and Ms Hellen Wambui during a past Greenhorn Mentorship Program at the University of Nairobi

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has partnered with the University of Nairobi to launch a mentorship program targeting university students. The initiative is driven by staff in a bid to fulfill a component of P&G’s deliberate effort to drive positive awareness in every campus to effectively target and attract top talent from local universities.

The partnership which will be executed through the Greenhorn mentorship club will see mentors from Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nairobi office partnered with mentees. The mentors and mentees are paired after a rigorous exercise to determine the best-match taking into consideration seniority, personality, interests and the career development path of the mentee.

Speaking during the launch ceremony, P&G’s Country Manager Mr. Iacopo Pazzi said;

“Mentorship is often quoted as the missing link between a successful career driven person and a promising one. In its most basic element, mentorship ensures that career goals are set and steps taken to realize them, apart from the obvious benefits that mentorship has on educational achievement, mentored youth have better school attendance, better chances of pursuing higher education, and better attitudes towards school."

“The mentorship program is a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties where the mentor is able to give back by sharing experience, wisdom and time while the mentee is in turn molded into a well-rounded knowledgeable professional an element sought after by many firms,” said Mr. Mwaniki Evanson, campus recruitment team leader P&G Kenya.

                                                                                                                                                           

The paired team will be responsible for planning their meeting schedules throughout the twelve month period with a recommendation of at least one meeting per month.

On her part Ms. Lillian Nyambura the Mentors Affair Director at the University of Nairobi, “We are greatly honored by P&G’s dedication to mentor our students. We are aware that mentoring is a time consuming coaching process. It takes serious commitment demanding both valuable time and emotional commitment much like parenting,” she added.

P&G was voted as the best company to work for in Kenya 2014 after coming second last year. It is seeking to increase the demand for job-ready graduates by linking university students with qualified professionals within their ecosystem.

                                                                                            

Previously P&G had partnered with the United States International University to link up third and fourth year students with its global employees in a bid to improve the employability of the graduates they seek to add into their employee database.