You must be an active ERA member from any member class — manufacturer, distributor, manufacturers’ rep, vendor, consultant, etc.  There is no fee to participate in the program.

We recommend having the time available in your schedule to meet at least twice per month for 1 hour total with your mentor/mentee connection over a 6-month period — and have the energy, motivation and focus to participate fully!

You could be both, but we recommend picking either Mentor or Mentee for a single cohort. (You can always choose the other option in the next cohort!)

Who is eligible to be a Mentee?

There is no minimum tenure requirement. Mentees should be individuals who are motivated to grow within the profession, strengthen their impact and contribute to the future of the electronics industry.

-Active ERA members across manufacturers, distributors, and manufacturers’ representatives-
Individuals nominated by their organization to participate, including, but not limited to, those in the NEXGEN group
-Professionals across all functional areas (sales, marketing, operations, and beyond)
-Individuals who are new to the industry or seeking to grow their network, knowledge and career

Who is eligible to be a Mentor?

Experienced professionals who are motivated to give back, support emerging talent and contribute to the continued growth and professionalism of the electronics industry.

-Active ERA members across manufacturers, distributors, and manufacturers  representatives
-Professionals with approximately 7+ years of industry experience
-Individuals who are committed to supporting the development of others and advancing the profession
-Members who are willing to share knowledge, experience, and perspective to strengthen the broader industry

The Chronus platform/software that ERA is using to host its MentorUP program will use selected fields in your user profile as matching criteria in order to pair you with a mentor or mentee that will be a great fit. Such criteria may include mentor areas of strength and mentee area of development, and/or other fields such as location, department or job level.

Please fill out your user profile with as much detail as possible, so we can make the right match for you.

We’re excited to pair as many mentors and mentees as possible for this 2026 cohort. While we’ll make every effort to find the right match for everyone, there may be instances where we aren’t able to make a connection this round.

If that happens, please know it simply means we didn’t find the right fit this session—not that we don’t value your participation. In fact, you’ll be at the top of our list for the next MentorUp cohort, and we’ll make sure you’re among the first considered when matching begins.

Chronus is an easy-to-use, comprehensive mentorship platform that uses AI-powered matching technology to make the best mentor/mentee connections possible.

It will allow MentorUP connections to:

-Use its calendar and availability features
-Set virtual calls/meetings
-Use its built-in goal checklists and note-taking feature
-Use its built-in conversation paths
-Receive auto-notifications and reminders, keeping you engaged and focused

It also comes packed with great resources, videos and training guides.

TIP: Bookmark Chronus (era.chronus.com) on your web browser to make it easy to access 24/7. 

Mentors can have up to two mentees — if they have the will, time and energy to do so.

Mentees can only have one mentor.

We are aiming to notify all of their mentor/mentee matches after July 1.

ERA plans to host a welcome kick-off call for the cohort in early July.

You will receive email notifications from the Chronus platform to inform you of next steps.

Specifically, though, once you receive your connection, you can log into Chronus and go into your “Mentoring Connection.” Review at least the tasks for the first 30 days. Look for tasks that are assigned to you and take note of what they are and when they should be accomplished. If your mentee/mentor doesn’t reach out within the first few days, please don’t hesitate to reach out and break the ice!

The Chronus platform has all kinds of conversation suggestions and goal checklists within your connection  — you’ll definitely want to check that out.

However, here are some suggestions to jump-start your conversations:

• Active listening
• Analytical thinking
• Building and maintaining relationships
• Career planning
• Client & customer focus
• Communicating effectively
• Communication skills
• Courage & confidence in speaking up
• Decision making
• Developing adaptability
• Displaying drive & purpose
• Emotional intelligence
• Giving & receiving feedback 
• Growth mindset & innovation
• Improving processes
• Managing up
• Managing yourself
• Negotiating & resolving conflict
• Network and relationship building
• Organizational savvy & navigation
• Pivoting your career within your organization
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Strategic thinking

While most mentoring relationships develop naturally, there may be occasions where a match is not the right fit or circumstances change.

If concerns arise, you are encouraged to contact ERA Staff, (Clare Kluck at ckluck@era.org or Kate Van Hise at kvanhise@era.org) for support. Any adjustments or conversations will be handled thoughtfully and confidentially to ensure a positive experience for all participants.