How the mentor support program of Lviv IT Cluster works: the GlobalLogic case

Mentoring is an essential component of tech education. Thanks to it, students can learn from practitioners, gain real work experience, and expand their professional network. In turn, for mentors, it is an opportunity to collaborate on projects with students, develop leadership skills, and directly impact the quality of tech education. Companies that support mentorship also benefit from such collaboration. They make contributions to attracting new talent and promoting their employer brand.

That is why our community is developing a Mentor Support Program within the educational project IT Expert. It includes two main directions: support for mentors from the Lviv IT Cluster and from tech companies participating in the program. Among them is GlobalLogic. Yevhen Sakalo, L&D Manager, Pre-hire & University Program, and Artem Polyakov, System Architect and mentor of a student team from the Internet of Things program at Lviv Polytechnic, shared how the program works in the company.

GlobalLogic actively supports the Lviv IT Cluster’s IT Expert project, which aims to continuously modernize tech-related bachelor’s programs. The company was one of the first to join the mentor support program. This year, GlobalLogic delegated seven mentors to work with students. With the support of the Lviv IT Cluster, experienced specialists mentor students at three universities in Lviv: Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ivan Franko National University, and Lviv State University of Life Safety.

“It is support for education when professionals share their knowledge with students, motivate them to learn and develop. Of course, the company wants to encourage such people as much as possible,” notes Yevhen Sakalo.

With students, mentors develop projects that have a good chance of becoming startups in the future. This approach helps companies build strong connections with the academic environment and engage talented young people in cooperation.

Each company that joins the Mentor Support Program has the opportunity to decide how to incentivize mentors independently. At GlobalLogic, a motivation system has been established for internal mentors who support colleagues in their professional development. This system has also been extended to mentors working with an external audience — students from higher educational institutions. The Learning and Development (L&D) department is working on this.

“Our task is to constantly work with mentors, find new people who may find it interesting,” adds Yevhen Sakalo.

One of these individuals is Artem Polyakov, a System Architect at GlobalLogic. He has been involved in mentoring for over five years, starting with mentoring newcomers in the company and now also working with students. For him, it is an opportunity to enhance his knowledge and directly contribute to educational development.

“I have three kids, and I want them not to have to go abroad when they choose what they want to do. I want them to receive quality education here, in Ukraine,” Artem Polyakov shares.

Mentors can give lectures and workshops at their alma maters, thus showing gratitude to the universities they graduated from. In addition, they receive exclusive merchandise, the opportunity to attend training courses for professional development, and other bonuses that contribute to mentor motivation.

“The company allows me to buy books, attend conferences, and participate in tech talks. I am provided with everything necessary for learning. And this is motivating,” Artem Polyakov shares.

Artem explains that mentoring also impacts his professional growth within the company.

“Mentoring is ingrained in the matrix of my development. The company is interested in having people on the project willing to share information. Projects change, people change, and we need those who can and are ready to teach new professionals.”

Mentors can also attract new talented specialists to their teams in the company. There are already several successful collaboration cases. In 2021, seven students from the Department of Artificial Intelligence Systems at the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies at Lviv Polytechnic and mentors from GlobalLogic developed a face recognition program. It distinguishes a live person from a substituted photo. After a successful defense, four students received cooperation offers from GlobalLogic.

If your company also wants to contribute to the development of Ukrainian tech education and mentorship culture, please get in touch with the Project Manager of the Education Department at the Lviv IT Cluster, Mariia Levytska: mariia.levytska@itcluster.lviv.ua.