When we opened applications for the 18th Cohort of the National HR Mentorship Programme, we expected strong interest. We did not expect this.
208 aspiring HR professionals applied. They are based in 13 countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, and every one of them took the time to say, “I want to learn, and I want to grow.”
That is worth pausing on.
Behind the numbers are people
It is easy to read “208 applications” as a statistic. We read it differently. Each application represents someone who sat down, thought honestly about where they are in their HR career, and decided they were ready for more. Some are just starting out. Some are early in their roles and looking for direction. All of them reached out to a programme that asks them to be curious and willing to be mentored.
For a mentorship programme, there is no better sign than people choosing to show up.
Where our applicants are from
This cohort’s applicants come from:
Trinidad and Tobago
Cambodia
Nepal
Zambia
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Botswana
India
Uganda
Nigeria
Ethiopia
Pakistan
South Africa
Look at that list again. A young professional in Kampala and another in Kathmandu are both asking how to build a better HR career. Someone in Port of Spain and someone in Phnom Penh are chasing the same goal. The workplaces, languages and local laws differ, but the questions about people, culture, fairness and growth are strikingly similar.
That is one of the things we love most about human resource management. It is a global profession, and the people who practise it often face the same challenges whatever the country.
Why this matters
Good mentorship has always been about access. Not everyone has a senior HR practitioner down the hall to learn from. Not everyone knows someone who can explain how a tough conversation is handled, how a career path really works, or what to do next. For many professionals, especially those starting out far from major HR hubs, that kind of guidance is hard to find.
A programme like this helps close that gap. When borders stop limiting who can learn from whom, the whole profession benefits. A mentee in Lusaka may take home an idea that a mentor first used in another market. A conversation that begins as advice can grow into a lasting professional friendship.
That is what we mean when we call this more than a programme. It is a community built on shared knowledge, real connections and the belief that opportunity should not depend on where you live.
What comes next
The 18th Cohort is already making history for HR Certification Centre, and we are only getting started. In the coming weeks we will share updates on how the cohort takes shape, so keep an eye on our pages.
To everyone who applied: thank you. Thank you for your trust, your ambition and your commitment to growing in this profession. Whatever comes next, you have already shown the kind of drive that moves HR forward.
To our wider network, we would love to hear from you. If mentorship has shaped your own career, tell us about it in the comments. Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to read today.
