The Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS) is the flagship mentoring initiative of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). IMNIS connects PhD students and early career researchers with influential industry leaders, who meet regularly in a professional setting and connect with each other and the broader IMNIS network at regular state-based networking events. IMNIS provides PhD students with the opportunity to grow their understanding of industry, develop and improve upon the skills needed to succeed within the STEM ecosystem and to expand their professional network beyond academia.
Launched in 2015, this national mentoring program has grown to involve more than 750 participants this year alone. IMNIS’s growing network includes high-level leaders across a range of industries and a cohort of more than 1000 alumni. IMNIS is continuing to expand and offer new programs to include a broader range of STEM disciplines, geographic regions, and professional development opportunities, enabling more people to get involved.
In Australia, greater collaboration and communication between academia and industry is essential to ensure that the knowledge that is being generated by our researchers is successfully shared and translated into product, practice and policy. A culture shift is required to ensure that we are able to successfully drive innovation and meet the needs and face the challenges of the future, both in Australia and globally. IMNIS helps to break down these barriers that exist between academia and industry and fosters connection and collaboration between the two. IMNIS alumni are industry savvy with high-level networks, and have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to engage, work with and seek careers in the spectrum of non-academic sectors.
IMNIS equips early stage researchers with the skills that they need to succeed in any part of the STEM ecosystem. Through facilitated mentoring partnerships with industry leaders and professional development workshops, IMNIS supports its participants to develop and improve the skills they need for effective employment in or collaboration with industry. These include both technical skills and enabling skills such as leadership, negotiation, communication and creativity. IMNIS also highlights to PhD students and early career researchers the value of the transferable skills that they already possess, and the applicability of these skills to a wide range of STEM careers. At the end of the 2020–21 IMNIS national program, 92% of mentees said that they had a better understanding of the transferable skills which are relevant beyond academia while 83% said they attained knowledge and/or skills that would assist them in engaging and collaborating with industry.
Long-term careers in academia are not a reality for most STEM graduates. There are simply not enough jobs in the sector. IMNIS exposes mentees to the broad range of careers beyond academia that a STEM degree or research can be applied to and gives them the skills and knowledge they require to career transition with ease and confidence. IMNIS also highlights the importance of careers that are adaptive and helps mentees to build careers that are mobile between academia and industry. In 2020–21, at the completion of their one-year mentoring partnership, 90% of mentees said they were more aware of the careers available beyond academia, 86% of mentees indicated they were keen to work in business and industry and 89% said IMNIS prepared them for a degree outside academia, or a career that was mobile between industry and academia.
We live in a rapidly changing world, and we are constantly being required to meet new needs and adapt to new challenges. STEM skills and knowledge are becoming more important as technology and digital transformation increasingly permeates all areas of society. This year, IMNIS has moved to a new all-of-STEM model. This new model is more inclusive of all STEM disciplines and STEM-related research areas with a priority towards alignment with the ATSE’s policy forums, which focus on areas that are critical to Australia’s future. These include advanced manufacturing, agriculture, digital futures, energy resources and renewables, health technologies, minerals and METS, and water resources. STEM skills will be crucial in addressing needs and challenges in all of these sectors and more.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation is a policy priority for ATSE, which recognises that climate change is and will continue to be the greatest challenge of our time. All industries are impacted by climate change with corporate leaders consistently rating climate change and extreme weather events as the largest macroeconomic risks in terms of both impact and likelihood. Australia’s workforce must be ready for the future – not just with the STEM skills to interrogate and respond to complex challenges, but also with the enabling skills to work flexibly to apply their solutions in the real world. IMNIS alumni have the tools to build sustainable careers and provide leadership across academia, government, and industry to tackle the challenges of today and the future.
To get involved with IMNIS as a mentee or to inquire about university partnerships to support groups of STEM PhD students, please visit the IMNIS website or get in touch via email at admin@imnis.org.au
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
