The Veterans SA Career and Business Mentoring Program connects members of the veteran community with leaders and professionals across the South Australian business community to help them achieve career and business success.

Applications are now open for the 2025 Veterans SA Career and Business Mentoring Program.

Through the Veterans SA Career and Business Mentoring Program, mentees are partnered with experienced South Australian business leaders who provide guidance and support as mentors to help them achieve success in their professional lives.

The program offers monthly online workshops featuring expert guest speakers and program alumni covering topics including changing mindset, career transition, finding purpose, skills translation, job seeking tips, business support advice and networking.

Participants in previous years have experienced rewarding outcomes including:

  • gaining meaningful employment
  • scholarship and grant successes
  • development of successful business plans
  • expansion of professional networks
  • increased confidence and improved understanding of self-worth.

This year’s program will commence in April and conclude in November 2025.

The program is facilitated by South Australian-based Strategy and Business Coach, Christine Molitor from Be Sustained.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply as a mentee, participants must reside in South Australia and be a:

  • former ADF member
  • ADF member, currently transitioning or planning to transition within the short to medium term
  • reservist
  • partner of a current or former ADF member
  • child of a current or former ADF member over 18 years old

Applications to be a mentor are invited from anyone across the South Australian business community who is keen to share their knowledge and expertise to support participants to unlock their full potential. Mentors may have previously served, but this is not a requirement.

All mentor/mentee participants must be located in South Australia.

Program Streams

Two separate streams with different objectives and outcomes are being offered. Applicants for both mentee and mentor positions must select the stream they wish to participate in when submitting their application.

Career and Skills Development

Participants will have the opportunity to work with their mentor to set career and professional goals, whilst developing networking skills, their professional profile, interview techniques, presentation skills and more. The opportunity to expand their professional network and investigate career prospects through networking activities will also be provided.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Participants will determine their place in their entrepreneurship journey alongside their mentor, who will be able to provide advice and feedback on business models and plans, financing options, growing an existing business and more. This stream is suitable for anyone who is considering starting a business through to someone who has started their own business but wants to take it to the next level.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2025 Career and Business Mentoring Program are now open and will close at 11:59 pm on Sunday 16 February 2025.

Complete the online application forms:

Key Dates

Key dates for the 2025 program:

  • Applications open 20 January 2025
  • Applications close 11:59pm 16 February 2025
  • Successful participants notified by 28 February 2025
  • Compulsory mentor only induction workshop online for one hour in the evening on 31 March 2025
  • Program formally commences with a face to face launch event for mentees and mentors together on 3 April 2025
  • Program concludes in November 2025

Hear from past participants Liz and Sharon

More Information

Read the Veterans SA Career & Business Mentoring Program FAQs below.

Learn more about previous programs:

Please send queries to VeteransSA@sa.gov.au

Frequently Asked Questions

Mentee participants can only register for one of the program streams.

If you are a mentee, please think about your primary goal for the program, and register for the stream that best aligns with your objectives. The details you provide in your submission will help us to understand what your expectations are, and if we have any questions, we will get in touch.

If you are applying as a Mentor, please think about what you most offer as a Mentor. Where do your strengths lie and which stream would you find most rewarding to provide mentor support in – careers and skills or business and entrepreneurship? If you strongly feel you could cover both programs, then we encourage you to fill out both applications. We cannot guarantee a sufficient pool of Mentees, but we will note your offer to mentor on either program. If we have any questions, we will get in touch.

Our experience is shaped by others in our lives. Having the opportunity to learn from others who have both ‘trodden the path’ before and who may also come from a background diverse to yours, in a relaxed and confidential setting is a true gift. As a mentee, it is hoped you will find that learning and growing, overcoming perceived barriers and developing your own capacity is a journey made somewhat easier, with another alongside you.

Mentoring is a relationship-driven process that involves sharing knowledge and skills to guide, to enquire and to inspire the development of another person.

That development may be specific, such as helping to support and build certain skills (i.e., communication skills or presentation confidence), or it may be to enhance the ability to manage an emerging situation (i.e., prepare for a business event or to lead a new initiative in the workplace).

Mentoring can be immensely satisfying. Reflecting on and sharing your experience and knowledge to help another, seeing someone fulfill their potential, or overcome barriers can be incredibly rewarding. Mentors can also develop their own skills, such as their interpersonal and communication skills, as a result of being part of this experience.

The program will commence with a compulsory online induction and welcome session for mentors for both programs on Monday 31 March 2025.

Mentors and Mentees will subsequently meet on average every month, by the most suitable means available to them, such as face to face, online or by phone. This arrangement will be self-managed by each pair.

Monthly online workshops will also be held throughout the program exposing participants to topics covering career transitions, job seeking tips and business support advice.

There will be an overall evaluation process that all participants must engage in. It will run throughout and at the conclusion of the programs and gather participant insights to help inform the development of improvements to future programs. It is through these evaluations that we have been able to refine and adapt the program to what it is today –so you can be assured that feedback is valued and listened to.

In addition, a quick poll will be distributed following each online session to survey participants’ level of interest and satisfaction with the topic and speakers selected.

Participants must commit to attend the induction events (note, the mentor induction online is compulsory) and the closing event. online sessions offered each month. This not only adds to the learning experienced by the Mentee, but enables sufficient numbers for active in session participation and feedback. We understand that time is important, and we will endeavour to be as flexible as possible in how and when we offer these sessions, including making recordings available where there are competing commitments.

In terms of mentee-mentor meetings, it is highly recommended that each pair meet monthly at a minimum. The suggested duration for each session is one hour to one and a half hours. Mentors and Mentees must manage the scheduling of their meetings directly.

There is no limit to the number of places offered. However, there is an application process to assess eligibility and suitability for participation on the programs. In previous years we have had an excess of eligible Mentors initially, however generally  some Mentees have joined the program later, for a variety of reasons. If you register as a Mentor and are not matched initially, you will be advised of that and encouraged to at least attend the induction session for mentors as there is a likelihood – based on past experience – of being brought into working with a Mentee down the track.

There is no financial cost to being involved in the program as a mentee or mentor or participating in any of the online or face to face events. Mentors are generously donating their time to support their mentees to upskill and expand their experiences.

Our Mentors will come from a range of different industries and professional roles and will have varied life experiences. They will be located in both metro and regional South Australia and have different levels of management experience drawn from different disciplines.

Matching will be conducted by the program facilitator and the Director of Veterans SA.

The matching process will take into account the skills, experience and industry backgrounds of all applicants and attempt to match participants based not only on their application but the value of diverse experiences and backgrounds in the Mentor-Mentee relationship, as well as the aspirations of each applicant.

Of course, it is not always possible to get everything from the one mentor. The more information you can provide in your application, the more it will assist us in pairing you up with the most suitable partner.