“Some of the best advice I ever received was to make mentoring and networking a priority. I got my first job opportunity in Canada through networking and volunteering.” – Saqib Jalil CPA, CA
As an Alberta CPA, you can help build and refine the skills of early-career and foreign-trained CPAs. The CPA Alberta Mentorship Program gives mentors and mentees a chance to develop a meaningful relationship that can lead to insights, opportunities, and improved skills to help achieve career goals; just ask Saqib Jalil CPA, CA, Assurance Manager with Ernst and Young.
Saqib moved from Pakistan to Calgary in 2014. Knowing almost nobody in the city, he cites mentorship and networking as major factors that helped him establish a successful career in Canada. Saqib was a mentee in the CPA Alberta Connector program and the Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Counsel program. He now gives back to these programs as a mentor and, as Vice-Chair of the Calgary Chapter of CPAs, donates hours of his time to help facilitate and promote relevant events for the membership.
Your role as mentor
As a mentor, you can expect to:
- Provide early-career CPAs, foreign-trained CPAs, and CPA Candidates with support and insight that can broaden their mindsets
- Give back and invest in the future of the profession
- Enhance your personal growth and professional development from mentoring
- Receive free verifiable PD from mentor training and workshops
- Commit approximately 12-24 hours of your time over one year (in-person, phone and email)
Over the past five years, CPA Alberta has matched over 200 mentors and mentees through the CPA Alberta Mentorship Program. If you are interested in registering, please email mentorship@cpaalberta.ca or visit the CPA Alberta website. Please note: the deadline to apply as a mentee or mentor for the 2018/19 Mentorship Program is September 28.
Note that the CPA Alberta Mentorship Program is different than the Practical Experience Requirements (PER) Mentorship Program. The PER Mentorship Program is the mandatory program for CPA Candidates to meet their practical experience requirements.
