The Society of Broadcast Engineers has reach a milestone in its Mentor Program with more than 100 mentor and mentee member participants. “This is a remarkable milestone,” said Mentor Committee Chair Chris Tarr, CSRE, DRB, CBNT. “We are proud to involve so many in this effort and hope to continue to reach the next generation of broadcast and multimedia technologists as this program grows.”
The SBE Mentor Program, launched in October 2016, is designed to help broadcast engineers who are new to the field. The program partners a new engineer with a more-seasoned professional. This allows the more-experienced person to share his or her gained knowledge, both empirical and practical, with someone new to the field. The SBE Mentor Program provides a means for SBE members to share knowledge and experience. For the seasoned mentor, it’s a chance to give something back. For the mentee, it’s an ideal way to gain inside knowledge and understanding that can sometimes take years to accumulate.
Partnerships are set for one year, but they can be extended. Mentors and mentees establish a schedule that works best for the pair, but they connect at least by phone every two weeks. As of March 10, there are 49 mentors and 60 mentees participating. Some mentors counsel more than one mentee. Mentors are needed with radio and/or TV experience, but the need for TV mentors is greater. The SBE Mentor Program grew when the SBE began the Technical Professional Training (TPT) Program in early 2021. The TPT currently accounts for 29 mentees.
“The SBE continues to increase its focus on broadcast and multimedia technology education programs, and the SBE Mentor Program is just one of many undertakings to achieve this goal,” said SBE President Andrea Cummis, CBT, CTO. “I congratulate all the participants on their efforts to grow the program and prepare the next generation of broadcast technical professionals.”
More information on the SBE Mentor and Technical Professional Training Programs is available online (sbe.org/mentor, sbe.org/tpt) or by contacting SBE Education Director Cathy Orosz (corosz@sbe.org, 317-846-9000).
