Canadian Association for Supported Employment

Nadyezhda: A Tailored Approach Finds the Best Fit. Facilitated by Avalon. Logos: MentorAbility Canada, the Canadian Association for Supported Employment and the Government of Canada

Her multiple MentorAbility Experiences were “very productive and informative,” and she could imagine herself working in all these fields in the future.

MentorAbility offers job seekers experiencing disabilities an opportunity to experience different careers through short-term mentorships, making it an excellent career exploration tool. MentorAbility experiences are also tailored to suit the needs of each job seeker, like the mentorships designed for Nadyezhda.  

While most MentorAbility experiences focus on a single mentorship, Nadyezhda recently partook in three mentorships with three different employers to gain insights into a wide range of careers in a short period of time.   

The three mentorships allowed Nadyezhda to get a feel for each of these very different career paths and explore which one was the best fit for her skills and interests.   

At a Stingray radio newsroom, Nadyezhda most enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the radio industry. She gained much insight into the financial and graphic design departments. She also got to see how closely all the local Stingray stations work together and how different stations are part of the same broadcaster.   

At A.C. Hunter Public Library, Nadyezhda valued participating in the day-to-day operations, like registering returned books and organizing materials based on the Dewey Decimal System. At The Rooms, Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest gallery and museum, Nadyezhda’s favourite part was looking through old historical documents, images, and maps, while learning how certain artifacts are stored according to temperature for better preservation.   

Nadyezhda admitted that her ambitious partaking in three MentorAbility Experiences was sometimes “a lot to take in.” However, she’s very grateful to have gained “valuable experience” in three different industries and to come away with “real, hands-on experience” for a variety of tasks.   

Her multiple MentorAbility Experiences were “very productive and informative,” and she could imagine herself working in all these fields in the future. While she enjoyed her time in every workplace, the archives at The Rooms became a fascinating ground for exploration in another unique professional setting. Each document, each photo, unveiled a piece of history, while also highlighting the unique workplace environment rich in archived documents and internal processes. The mentor answered all questions about the education and skills required to work in this captivating field.  

She followed up by saying, “MentorAbility is an excellent program and I truly believe it is a worthy experience that will help the journey to discover what one wants to do for a career.”  

We really appreciate the kind words, Nadyezhda! We applaud your fantastic work ethic and career planning skills, and know that wherever you end up, you’ll do an amazing job!