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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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CAREERTIPS: 7 reasons why Hardhat Professionals believe having a mentor Is critical for career success.

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Many people think of mentoring as a process that’s only important in the early stages of your career, when you don’t have the knowledge and information you need to navigate your office or business structure. But the truth is that Hardhat Professionals at all levels of advancement — even senior positions — can benefit from guidance.

Hardhat Professionals unpack the specific reasons mentorship is crucial to building a successful career.


1. Mentors kickstart your professional development 

With the support of a mentor, you can stay focused on your  career, gain confidence, attain goals, and expand your networks. Having a mentor leads to self-discovery and helps you continue growing your career. Through their feedback, you’ll grow professionally and personally and be empowered to take your career where you want to go. 

2. Mentors help you clarify and set SMART goals

One of the main reasons for mentorships is for you to set goals. The mentor can help you define what these may be, using the SMART process. SMART goals setting is an acronym that stands for:
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-sensitive goals
Having SMART goals gives a purpose to mentoring. 

3. Mentors hold you accountable to achieve your goals

By defining goals and creating smaller steps to get there, mentors help you focus on what you need to do to advance your  career. These goals are also a way to measure the success of the mentorship.

Without goals, you have  no direction and no plan to get where you  want to go. A mentor helps keep you on track and accountable for achieving your goals. It provides the motivation  you need to work at attaining your goals. 

4. Mentors develop your leadership skills

Mentorships can cultivate leadership skills such as listening, compassion and giving and receiving feedback. Participants develop these skills by using them in the relationship. These soft skills are essential for career success. 

In a study of peer mentoring relationships it was found that formal mentoring programs led to the development of the following soft skills in students:
  • Self-awareness
  • Adaptability
  • Teamwork
  • Collaboration
  • Verbal communication. 
The study  also found that they experienced increased self-efficacy and the ability to seek support when needed because of the peer-to-peer mentoring they engaged in. From this, we can gather that the ability to lean on someone else for guidance, support and to have one-on-one conversations with them will lead to the development of soft skills.

5. Mentors raise your confidence and problem-solving abilities

Along with developing leadership skills, having a mentor to advise and guide you can increase your confidence and help develop problem-solving skills. Regarding confidence, research has tied having a mentor to an overall increase in emotional health. Mentors offer a different perspective that can be instrumental in changing bad habits or unhelpful ways of thinking. The result of this is an increase in wellbeing and confidence. Likewise, mentors can serve as a sounding board for mentees to test ideas out. This leads to a better ability to problem solve.

6. Mentors expand your network and open up doors to new opportunities

Through mentorship, you can expand your network and gain access to other people in various ways. Mentors can share their connections directly with you. Alternatively, a mentor may introduce you to one or two key individuals to help with your career development or goals. This further increases your confidence because you can get out of your comfort zone, develop your soft skills, and gain access to new opportunities as you meet new people.

7. Mentors offer invaluable tacit knowledge and guidance (for free)

With more work experience, mentors are in the ideal position to offer insight for you. They hold valuable knowledge that can be crucial in helping you uncover opportunities and solve problems. Mentors can guide you by providing instructions on how to do specific tasks or acquire useful skills. They can also share tips on overcoming obstacles or challenges to career development. 

This kind of mentoring relies on the vast experience of the mentor. It’s a kind of guidance that you can’t find anywhere else. In a workplace, having a mentor who’s a senior executive is an incredible opportunity because they can shed light on the inner workings of the organization that helps you get ahead. In short, they know who’s-who and what’s-what, and they’ll share that with you. 


The benefits to a mentorship relationship for a career success are not just for mentees. Mentors also get the opportunity to reflect on their careers. Therefore having clear goals and communicating these will ensure that the experience is positive and productive.

These hardhatCAREERTIPS were compiled with the input from Construction and Built Environment Professionals (Hardhat Professionals)

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