The Society of Broadcast Engineers, which created the SBE Mentor Program in 2016 as a way to fast-track new technical talent in the broadcast technical environment, has expanded the program with a new level of mentorship: The Subject Matter Expert (SME).

"Adding Subject Matter Experts to the Mentor Program allows those who want to share their knowledge in a specific area with others learning the technology,” explained SBE Mentor Committee chair Tony Dimsdale, CBRE. “No one expects a primary Mentor to know everything, and having access to a panel of SMEs means the education process for the mentee can continue to grow."

The SBE Mentor Program partners a new engineer with a more-seasoned professional, which allows the more-experienced person to share his or her gained knowledge, both empirical and practical, with someone new to the field. The freshman mentee has a way to gain inside knowledge and understanding that could otherwise take years to accumulate.

While one-on-one mentors provide a broad base of information to the mentees, there are times when mentees' need guidance in an area that is more specific than the mentor might be able to provide. 

The new Subject Matter Expert addresses this issue and proves that "Everyone Can Be a Mentor" by allowing SBE members in any level of their career to offer specialized expertise, the group explained. 

SMEs offer knowledge in a specific area of expertise and can offer guidance to a colleague with less experience in that area. SMEs provide support to one-on-one Mentors and offer specific knowledge that may be outside the primary Mentor's experience.

Like primary Mentors, SMEs must be current SBE members and in the profession of broadcast engineering. They must have a willingness to share their knowledge and a positive attitude toward help with the professional development of others.

For more information about the SBE, contact James Ragsdale, executive director, at jragsdale@sbe.org or 317-846-9000, or visit the SBE website, sbe.org.

INDIANAPOLIS—The Society of Broadcast Engineers has launched its Mentor Program. SBE created this program to provide new broadcast engineers an avenue to learn from and work with a more experienced engineers. Mentor applications were accepted through September, with mentors and mentees then paired based on mutual experiences and career interests.

Participants are suggested to have communication, whether by voice or video, at least every other week. Most of the mentors and mentees are not actually in the same city, but SBE believes that this should have no impact. The official mentor/mentee relationship will last one year, but the hope is that a professional relationship will continue.

There are 18 mentors in the program for 32 mentees, with some mentors having more than one mentee. The SBE Mentor Committee is co-chaired by SBE board members Jeff Keith, CPBE, and Eric Schecter, CBRE.