How the EvalYouth Global Mentoring Program Supports Young Evaluators
Entering the field of evaluation presents many opportunities and challenges for Young and Emerging Evaluators (YEEs). Recognizing the need for mentorship and guidance, the EvalYouth Global Mentoring Program (EYGMP) was established to connect YEEs with experienced mentors, to enhance their skills and advance their careers. Since 2017, EYGMP has facilitated mentorships for 241 mentees from all over the world.
What Do YEEs Need?
For early career evaluators, skill development, career navigation, and networking are crucial.
The latest EvalYouth survey, conducted as part of a Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI)-funded review in 2024, gathered 163 responses to identify key areas of development. The findings revealed that YEEs seek technical skills, particularly in transformative evaluation, gender-responsive evaluation, and evaluation in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Many also expressed the need for hands-on experience in evaluation planning, a barrier that limits career progression.
“The most common barrier for me is the number of years of experience most of these organizations demand, which is so unrealistic even for entry-level jobs.”*
Beyond technical skills, YEEs struggle with limited employment opportunities, lack of social capital, and restricted access to professional networks. Many respondents reported that not knowing the right people within the sector was a major obstacle to securing internships or full-time positions.
“The main barrier to access jobs in the evaluation field is the lack of social capital and network within the areas of NGOs and aid organizations.”*
What Employers and Mentors Expect
Employers emphasize that technical expertise is just one part of what makes a successful evaluator. They also highlight the need for a strong foundation in monitoring and evaluation (M&E), including an understanding of evaluation purposes, designs, and methodologies. Familiarity with essential M&E tools such as problem trees, theories of change, logical frameworks, and results management is highly sought after. As for data analysis, proficiency in STATA, R, Python, and MAXQDA is increasingly expected.
“A few things are absolutely critical… understanding context… and they need to understand the theory of change.”*
Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are just as crucial. Employers stress great importance on effective communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills, as well as report writing and data visualization tailored to specific audiences. Additionally, evaluators must be flexible, empathetic, and reflexive in their approach.
“A lot of evaluation is interpersonal skills… putting oneself in a spot where there can be opportunities for people to engage… when you interface with people, you need to be good at reading people’s body language and reading the room.”*
Lastly, employers recommended that YEEs gain practical experience through internships or field practicums before moving into full-time roles.
Insights from the EYGMP Review
Our review underscores the importance of equipping YEEs with foundational M&E knowledge, technical skills, and real-world experience. While technical training in evaluation designs and data collection are vital, fostering soft skills such as collaboration, humility, reflexivity, and professional ethics is equally important. Additionally, it is essential to create more networking opportunities for YEEs, to help them connect with mentors and industry professionals.
One of the key takeaways from our interactions with mentors and potential employers is the genuine commitment to supporting the next generation of evaluators. However, while individual willingness to mentor is high, institutional and structural support must be strengthened to create a more inclusive evaluation ecosystem.
Strengthening Support for YEEs
Several professional organizations have already begun addressing these challenges. For example, GEI provides a career guide that includes training resources and offers an internship program, helping YEEs to gain real-world experience.
Similarly, the American Evaluation Association offers programs such as the Student Travel & Emerging Evaluators Travel Awards, which provides financial assistance for a limited number of YEEs to attend the annual conference, and the Graduate Education Diversity Internship program, which supports under-represented students in the evaluation field. Additionally, the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association has developed an M&E career resource hub to provide YEEs with career guidance.
Expanding such initiatives will play a significant role in breaking down barriers for YEEs, ensuring they have the support they need to thrive in the field. By investing in mentorship, fostering inclusive professional networks, and advocating for entry-level opportunities, the evaluation community can cultivate a new generation of skilled and confident evaluators.
Together, we can create a dynamic, welcoming, and sustainable future for M&E professionals—one where the next generation of evaluators is equipped not just to enter the field but to lead and innovate within it.
*The authors of this blog post have chosen to keep the identities of survey participants anonymous to protect their privacy and confidentiality.
About the Authors
Maureen Okoli is a public health professional with extensive experience in M&E and implementing TB/HIV prevention and treatment programs. As an active member of the EvalYouth Global Network, she is deeply committed to fostering youth capacity development, advancing gender-focused services, and promoting adolescent-friendly health initiatives.
Minji Cho is a program and policy evaluator with a Ph.D. in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods from Claremont Graduate University. She has extensive M&E experience across various social service sectors, including community-based organizations, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and international non-governmental organizations. Her interests focus on improving evaluation practices to support decolonizing efforts in international development program evaluation and advancing locally driven methods.
Christine Liboon is a doctoral candidate at UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies' Social Research Methodology program. Her research interests are broadly focused on program evaluation and improvement in non-formal educational contexts related to historically minoritized and marginalized populations. Moreover, her research has spanned across continuous improvement in program evaluation, research on evaluation context, culturally responsive evaluation, and research on evaluation. Her dissertation is focused on understanding the concept of reciprocity in program evaluation practice and theory.
Gabriela Rentería Flores is an evaluation specialist with experience in international and economic development. From 2021 to 2024, Gabriela served as the Chair of the EvalYouth Global Network and co-lead of the Eval4Action campaign, where she championed initiatives to strengthen the meaningful participation of youth in evaluation. She holds a master's in development economics and a bachelor's in economics. Gabriela’s evaluative work spans development cooperation projects in India and social programs at national and subnational levels in Mexico, focusing on economic development, gender, and climate change.