Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? This month focuses on how we can work together to make sure young people in our communities have dependable individuals to look up to for guidance. Mentorship has a tremendous, positive effect on younger generations, including improving their confidence, enhancing their goal-setting abilities, and developing their communication skills, as well as other essential workplace skills.

At Port Houston, we know that in order to meet our vision of becoming America’s distribution hub for the next generation, we need to be a resource to help mentor and train the next generation of workers.

For the past decade, Port Houston has led an alliance of industry stakeholders and governmental entities to address the need for a well-trained talent pool of future maritime leaders. As a major source of job creation for the region, Port Houston has a strategic stake in the development of a robust maritime workforce.

Port Houston has invested more than $5 million in maritime education, and we’re continuing to expand our efforts. For the first time ever, Port Houston has developed its very own Mentorship Program where port employees can help youth in the Houston area learn more about careers in the maritime and supply chain industries. We are helping turn students’ wildest dreams into a reality and guiding them during the process.

As part of the Port’s strategic plan, we started our Regional Workforce Development program mentoring and guest speaking at local Houston high schools. This program will provide students an opportunity to work alongside an industry leader to streamline their areas of maritime interest, prepare them for continued education, and develop the necessary soft skills to be successful in their career path. Additionally, students have the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest minds at Port Houston to see how a successful maritime terminal operator works.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, Port Houston selected 29 volunteers who are serving as mentors and guest speakers to the next generation of maritime leaders. In Fall 2022, we officially kicked off at Stephen F. Austin High School and Jack Yates High School, with in-person sessions and one-on-mentor/mentee meetings. In Spring 2023, our volunteers will be busy with monthly speaking engagements and training sessions at all our partnering maritime education schools.