Teach to Work Lib/E: How a Mentor, a Mentee, and a Project Can Close the Skills Gap in America

by Patricia Alper

The United States is abundantly rich in adults with know how. By connecting mentors -- educated adults with expertise and knowledge -- with mentees -- teens and young adults who lack motivation, experience, and role models in their lives -- we can begin to close this gap dramatically. We can prepare the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow by adding real-world, project based experience to their education. Teach to Work is a call to action for mentors currently sitting on the sidelines. Whether you are a banker, lawyer, architect, accountant, engineer, IT specialist, or artist, you have the experience and skillset to become an ambassador of talent, grit, and transferable skills. The book provides a step-by-step guide to help professionals share their knowledge with the next generation of workers through this intergenerational experience. Based on Alper's fifteen years of mentoring inner-city high-school students, Teach to Work proves how corporations, professionals, and boomers can have a significant impact on the professional future of America's youth. Drawing from real-life stories and letters received from students, teachers, and fellow mentors describing pride of accomplishment, Alper helps professionals embark on this journey to transform lives, mentoring one student at a time.

Audio CD

Published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely the old made new again, a concept just as valuable now as it was at the dawn of humanity and the cooperative hunt. The theme is directed education based on the mentor/mentee relationship that was known for millennia (and in Star Wars) as the master/apprentice. A person with expertise in a field develops a relationship with a student where they teach them their skills, give them projects to work on, then coach them through the production process.
The content of the book is based on what is the “new” term “Project Based Mentoring.” The mentor accepts a small number of apprentices, challenges them to develop their own projects of interest, then
“You would meet with students one on one and provide skill-based coaching, strategic oversight, logistical suggestions, and guidance when it comes time to give a formal project presentation.”
Most of the book is a recitation of examples of successful mentoring relationships, how they were done and the dramatic consequences in the lives of the mentees. The stories are uplifting and unlike the tales that you read about in some books, completely believable. It all started with master hunters teaching the young how to engage in a cooperative hunt for dangerous and larger game, in the modern world the skill sets are sharper and no less essential for survival. This is an engaging, fun book to read and the content is timeless.

[Charlene Doland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this a 3.5. Much of the book is devoted to stories of former mentees, which makes for great storytelling but is not terribly helpful. Fortunately, other portions of the book provide specific ideas on how to structure projects and work with students as a mentor. The Mentor's Resource Guide appendix is also very helpful.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of the most important contributions one can make is to mentor a person. The book expressed the ease this can be done with effectively. Professionals take heed and answer the challenge. Excellent job Patricia Alper!!!

[Unna · Rating 3 out of 5]

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