How the Lviv IT Cluster Mentor Support Program works: Intellias experience

What are the benefits of mentoring students for IT specialists and the companies they work for? As part of a series of publications dedicated to the Mentor Support Program, we spoke with experts from Intellias – mentors of students: Roman Ivasyshyn, Principal C++ Engineer, and Oksana Vakshynska, Head of Sales Enablement and Customer Marketing.

As part of the Bachelor’s Program modernization project, our community has initiated the Mentor Support Program. It includes two main directions: support for mentors from the Lviv IT Cluster and from IT companies participating in the program. Among the companies supporting their mentors is Intellias. Last year, four experts from the Intellias team worked with students on joint projects:

• Roman Ivasyshyn – Principal C++ Engineer

• Oleg Zarevych – DevOps/SRE

• Oksana Vakshynska – Head of Sales Enablement and Customer Marketing

• Vitalii Dutka – Director, Connected Mobility.

In the new semester, even more representatives of Intellias will join the team work with students, as the company regularly disseminates information about mentoring and encourages experts to cooperate with universities.

Mentoring within the company and in external initiatives is an opportunity for Intellias specialists to strengthen their position as experts. By sharing their experience with less experienced colleagues or beginners in the IT field, mentors help them define clear development goals from the beginning of their career and gain relevant quality knowledge.

At Intellias, there is an internal mentoring program called IntelliMentorship. Within its framework, experienced specialists become mentors for colleagues who want to enhance their skills and acquire new ones for career growth. Collaboration with a mentor within IntelliMentorship can be long-term (9-12 months) or short-term (3-6 months).

The company values employees’ willingness to participate in educational programs for students. The Cluster’s Mentor Support Program helps students acquire modern knowledge that aligns with market trends. The company is proud that its specialists contribute to this effort.

Each company that has joined the Mentor Support Program has the opportunity to independently decide how to incentivize mentors. At Intellias, there is a program for contributors called IntelliPerson. It’s a unique initiative that ensures fair rewards for colleagues according to their contributions. Recognitions can be obtained for mentoring, speaking engagements, writing articles and materials, active participation in CSR initiatives, leadership/contribution/participation in professional community development, participation in qualification enhancement programs as mentors, external certifications, and so on.

Oksana Vakshynska, Head of Sales Enablement and Customer Marketing at Intellias, mentors students in the IT Sales Management program at Lviv Polytechnic University. She also participated in a mentoring meetup at IT Arena.

“I’m very glad that new directions are emerging for students, giving them the opportunity to become part of the IT industry from a business development perspective, not just technology. In mentoring, I especially like the gratitude and enthusiasm of the students. After many years of work, sometimes you lose the sense of value in what you do and perceive all your achievements as deserved. Here is an opportunity to remind yourself of the power of your experience and share it with young specialists,” shares Oksana.

Roman Ivasyshyn, Principal C++ Engineer at Intellias, has mentored in several bachelor’s programs supported by the Lviv IT Cluster. He has also been a mentor at hackathons and consistently shares his experience and skills with colleagues at Intellias.

“Mentoring helps to develop and strengthen one’s own expertise. It’s interesting to collaborate with new people each time, to find new approaches to engage them, and to witness their discoveries and initial achievements. The mentor community that has formed around the Lviv IT Cluster, also motivates. It involves new acquaintances, joint activities, and continuous development,” adds Roman.

At Intellias, supporting beginners in the IT field is considered part of the company’s mission. Intellias specialists regularly participate as mentors in joint educational projects with higher education institutions. For instance, in the fall, the IntelliDrive training program was launched – a joint initiative of Intellias and the Ukrainian Catholic University. Within this program, Intellias specialists teach domain knowledge in software development for automotive electronics and analyze specific product quality requirements for third and fourth-year students of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Also, in the fall, Intellias opened the innovative scientific-practical laboratory IntelliMapLab at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Here, company experts teach students to create maps for automotive navigation systems.

By joining the Mentor Support Program, Intellias and other Cluster companies have the opportunity to develop and motivate their employees, contribute to the education of a new generation of talented IT professionals, and develop their employer brand and startup ecosystem in Ukraine.

If your company wants to contribute to the development of Ukrainian tech education and mentoring culture, please contact the manager of university programs at the Lviv IT Cluster, Oleh Leskiv: oleh.leskiv@itcluster.lviv.ua.