JEMBER – Politeknik Negeri Jember (POLIJE), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is strengthening career development through its Career Coaching & Mentoring program. The session focused on helping participants identify their career paths and develop their professional potential.
Facilitated by Nugroho Setyo Wibowo, the program provided students and staff with practical knowledge of career development strategies. Participants explored the concepts, techniques, and applications of coaching and mentoring.
The session introduced four stages of career development: awareness, direction-setting, action, and growth evaluation. These stages help participants understand their current potential, establish career goals, and evaluate their progress.
Participants also learned the GROW Coaching Model, a framework for turning conversations into actionable plans. It consists of four elements: Goal, Reality, Options, and Way Forward.
Through Goal, participants defined specific and meaningful career objectives. Reality encouraged them to assess their current circumstances, strengths, skill gaps, and challenges. Meanwhile, Options helped them explore possible solutions and available resources. Way Forward guided them in setting actions, timelines, indicators, and responsibilities.
To make the learning process more interactive, participants took part in the Career Quest – Coach, Mentor, Grow! activity. Working in groups, they explored the differences between coaching and mentoring through active listening and questioning exercises.
Participants also analyzed career cases based on real workplace challenges. They identified goals, strengths, skill gaps, obstacles, and the support needed to address them. Furthermore, they developed a Career Development Plan through the Career Development Puzzle activity.
The program also introduced five stages for managing sustainable coaching and mentoring: Diagnose, Match, Contract, Develop, and Measure. During the practical session, participants joined the GROW Coaching Battle and took turns as Coach, Coachee, and Observer.
Through these activities, POLIJE encourages its academic community to pursue career development in a more structured and measurable way. The program also strengthens participants’ readiness to navigate professional challenges and adapt to the evolving workplace.