Mentoring

Mentors are employee volunteers who provide Career Academy students with one-to-one support with coursework and life skills. They act as a role model, critical friend and advisor.

Mentors meet their student about ten times over 18 months. Each meeting lasts approximately an hour and a half and is an opportunity to help the student:

• reflect on recent coursework; reinforcing classroom learning with real life examples
• expand their understanding of business culture and workplace etiquette
• practise employability skills such as time management, problem solving, CV writing or interview techniques
• widen their network of business contacts for the future.

Mentors are a crucial part of the Career Academy experience and from September 2014 will be a compulsory element of the programme.

Mentors range from recent graduates to managing directors, in both the private and public sectors. Each relationship is as individual as the people involved, and all will have different - but equally valid - experiences of the world of work to share. We provide training, a proper framework and guidance materials, so no prior mentoring experience is required.

Find out more about mentoring a student.