August 27, 2024

Meet Amirah & Thankamani: Step Up 2023 Singapore

As part of Step Up, a free six-month program for female students in their penultimate year of university in the UK, Ghana, Germany, Singapore & India, we offer participants access to skills development training, career events and mentorship. Working with our sponsoring businesses, BT Group, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, we pair our students with mentors to work alongside them for the duration of the program.

As our 2023 program ended, we caught up with the mentee Amirah and her mentor, Thankamani, a senior project manager at Vodafone, to learn more about their experience.

Mentee: Amirah Zakirah | Commercial and Industrial Sales Associated at Schneider Electric 

How would you summarise Step UP in three words?

 Exciting, adventurous, supportive.

 How has the program contributed to your career progression?

The program has allowed me to absorb and learn from my mentor’s work experiences and gain clarity on career growth and the tech industry. The tech industry is vast, consisting of even telecommunications, which is essential, especially in this 5G age. My mentor arranged a local office visit, and I managed to interact with the staff there. I’ve also made global friends with whom we still stay in contact now!

Can you share your most impactful learnings?

I learned to adopt the tips and tricks shared by my mentor in my intern journey at Johnson Controls. Receiving people management advice, such as taking feedback openly and navigating my relationships at the workplace, allowed me to understand others better. One thing I learned is to be humble and listen before communicating.

 What’s next for you?

After the program, I ended my internship, and I’m now working full-time as a commercial and industrial sales associate at Schneider Electric, where we deal with sustainable energy management!

Mentor: Thankamani Menon | Senior Project Manager at Vodafone 

How would you summarise the program in three words?

Well-structured, inspiring and rewarding.

What skills did you gain or improve from being a mentor?

Mentoring has given me a feeling of self-satisfaction. The program also allowed me to be a good listener and learn new perspectives from my mentee. It also allowed me to enhance my soft skills and leadership capabilities. 

Which element of the Step UP program did you enjoy most?

I liked the excitement and enthusiasm of mentees as we progressed through the mentoring sessions. I was happy to see that my mentee could use my guidance and tips back at her workplace and how it helped her improve her outlook with people, which made her feel optimistic about the everyday situations at work. It was a proud moment for me when she presented her joint project and graduated from the program.