Frequently Asked Questions
1. About professional mentoring
- What is professional mentoring?
- What is Widening Participation (WP)?
- What are the aims of professional mentoring at Brunel?
- What is Brunel professional mentoring for WP students?
- What is EMUS?
- How long is the programme?
- What are the important dates and events for the programme?
- Who co-ordinates the mentoring programmes at Brunel?
- What happens at the end of the programme?
2. Applying for the mentoring programme
- How to apply to join the programme?
- Which students are eligible to join Brunel’s mentoring programme?
3. About our mentors
- What are mentors expected to do?
- What other activities and events can mentors support?
- Is the mentoring relationship confidential?
- Which employers are involved?
- How are mentees and mentors matched?
- Are mentors trained?
4. Mentor meetings
- Where will meetings take place?
- How often do mentors and mentees meet?
- How much time do I need to allow for meetings?
5. Making the most of the programme
- What are mentees expected to do?
- How do mentees get the best from the mentoring programme?
- What do I do if things are not working out?
1. About professional mentoring
What is professional mentoring?
Brunel Professional Mentoring puts each mentee in regular contact with a qualified professional working in a sector or industry related to the student’s subjects or career aspiration. Mentors are experienced individuals drawn from a wide range of sectors and industries. They work on a one-to-one basis to help mentees develop vital employability skills and increase their awareness of workplace requirements.
Mentoring involves a range of learning and development activities, however, a number of consistent characteristics typify effective mentoring. The definitions below help to illustrate these:
‘A one-to-one, non-judgemental relationship in which an individual mentor voluntarily gives time to support and encourage another. This relationship is typically developed at a time of transition in the mentee’s life, and lasts for a significant ad sustained period of time’.
(Home Office, Active Community Unit, 2001)
"off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking." (Megginson and Clutterbuck);
"support, assistance, advocacy or guidance given by one person to another in order to achieve an objective or several objectives over a period of time" (SOVA).
What is Widening Participation?
Widening Participation activities aim to increase participation in higher education by under-represented groups. WP aims to:
- Raise aspirations;
- Encourage applications from a wider range of students;
- Ensure successful continuation and completion of studies.
There are many young adults with the academic potential to enter higher education who, for a variety of reasons, do not currently apply to study at university. Professional mentoring aims to provide additional support to undergraduates from backgrounds without a tradition of progression into higher education.
Widening Participation students meet one or more of the following criteria:
- they are the first generation of family to enter higher education (HE);
- they have experienced serious disruption to formal education e.g. refugees, asylum seekers or students who have recently learnt English;
- they are eligible for a full maintenance HE grant;
- they come from low-income areas with low participation in HE;
- they have studied vocational courses;
- they are mature students;
- they are Disabled;
- they are from Traveller communities;
- they are local Authority care leavers.
What are the aims of professional mentoring at Brunel?
- To improve the employability of Brunel University undergraduates and to encourage students to gain graduate level employment;
- To build self-esteem and confidence in applying for jobs and to develop interview skills; To assist Brunel students in setting and working towards their career goals;
- To give undergraduates an insight into a particular industry or sector;
- To enable Brunel University to build links with graduate employers.
What is Brunel professional mentoring for WP students?
Professional Mentoring for WP students is one of the two mentoring strands at Brunel. WP Professional Mentoring caters for students from a WP background. The programme is managed by the Brunel Widening Participation team. Mentors are recruited, trained and inducted for this programme by the WP team and meet their mentor at a combined launch event held at Brunel in November, involving mentors and mentees from both mentoring strands.
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What is EMUS?
The Ethnic Minority Undergraduate Scheme (EMUS) is one of Brunel’s two Professional Mentoring strands. The scheme is part of a national programme developed by the National Mentoring Consortium (NMC) for undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds. Mentors for EMUS are recruited and trained by the NMC. Mentees joining this programme are inducted by the NMC and meet their mentor at a combined launch event held at Brunel in November, involving mentors and mentees from both mentoring strands.
How long is the programme?
Both Brunel Professional Mentoring strands run from November to May. Mentors and mentees are introduced at the programme launch event in November and meet on a monthly basis until May the following year. In May mentoring pairs are invited to an end of programme celebration and award ceremony, held at the University.
What are the important dates and events for the programme?
Key dates for your diary:
|
Event |
Date |
Time |
|
Mentee Induction Sessions |
30 & 31 October |
5 – 7.30pm |
|
Mentor Training (NMC) |
30 October |
9.30 – 4pm |
|
Mentor Training (WP) |
1 November |
9.30 – 4pm |
|
Mentor/mentee Introduction & Launch Event |
15 November |
5 – 7.30pm |
|
Mock Interviews |
30 January 2013 |
9 – 5.30pm |
|
Career Development Workshops |
TBC |
TBC |
|
End of Programme Award Ceremony |
17 May 2013 |
3 – 5.30pm |
Who co-ordinates the mentoring programmes at Brunel?
The University Mentoring Co-ordinator is Bertie Ross. He is responsible for managing both strands of Professional Mentoring:
- Widening Participation
- EMUS Ethnic Minority Undergraduate Scheme
What happens at the end of the programme?
The end of the programme is marked by a celebration and award Ceremony held in May at the University. Mentoring pairs that have successfully completed the programme receive a certificate presented by a special guest to recognise their commitment and achievement. Nominations for best mentee and mentor are processed during the programme and announced at the ceremony. Some mentors and mentees agree to maintain informal contact by email or phone beyond the programme close, which enables a mentor to adopt a less structured relationship and act as a ‘professional friend’ to their mentee.
2. Applying for the mentoring programme
How to apply to join the programme?
Download an application form from www.brunel.ac.uk/mentoring. Return the completed form to mentoring@brunel.ac.uk or contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator to request an application form.
Which students are eligible to join Brunel’s mentoring programme?
Only ‘undergraduate home’ students (i.e. from the UK) with a widening participation background and/or from an ethnic minority background are eligible to take part in the programme.
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3. About our mentors
What are mentors expected to do?
Mentors are expected to meet their mentee on a monthly basis and to contribute to the career and personal development of their mentee by:
- discussing career choices and options;
- encouraging their mentee to talk about their ambitions and hopes for the future;
- helping the mentee to identify their skills, abilities and qualities ;
- building confidence and assisting the mentee to improve any areas of weakness;
- giving advice about graduate recruitment schemes ;
- providing advice about job applications and producing an effective CV;
- providing opportunities to develop interview skills;
- giving an insight into a particular industry;
- drawing on their own professional network for informed guidance and signposting;
- encouraging them to make full use of the University’s Placement and Careers Service (PCC).
What other activities and events can mentors support?
Mentors can elect to participate in mentee career development workshops, mock interviews and networking events. Details of these opportunities will be available after training.
Is the mentoring relationship confidential?
Mentors and mentees are expected to maintain a mutually acceptable level of confidentiality. This will mean that the vast majority of personal information shared in meetings and email/phone exchanges is kept private. However, both mentor and mentee are able to seek advice from the Mentoring Co-ordinator if they have a concern or experience any difficulties.
Mentors are volunteers drawn from a wide range of professions in both the private and public sector. Some are locally based, and others are located in and around central London. The list below includes some of the employers that have provided mentors for the programme in the past. Participating employers may vary each year.
|
Acorn Resource Services |
|
American Express |
|
AToS |
|
Barclays Corporate |
|
Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP |
|
Betfair Ltd |
|
British Gas |
|
BSkyB |
|
Business Centric Services Group |
|
Capgemini |
|
Channel 4 |
|
Cisco |
|
Citigroup |
|
Comic Relief |
|
Conde Nast Publications |
|
Deloitte |
|
Department of Work and Pensions |
|
Drayton Finch |
|
Ealing Children and Families, SAFE Service |
|
Employers' Forum on Disability |
|
Enterprise Rent A Car |
|
Evo-Soft Limited |
|
Foreign Office |
|
Freshfields |
|
Fujitsu UK Ltd |
|
GlaxoSmithKline |
|
Goodman Masson |
|
Gordon Yates |
|
Haart Estate Agents |
|
HM Revenue & Customs |
|
HM Treasury |
|
House of Commons |
|
Houses of Parliament - Department of Information Services |
|
Imperial College Healthcare Trust |
|
Innovative Carbon Limited |
|
Intercontinental Hotels Group |
|
Jaguar Land Rover |
|
Job Centre Plus |
|
John Lewis |
|
KPMG LLP |
|
L B Barnet and CAFCASS |
|
L B of Hillingdon |
|
Landor Associates |
|
LB Waltham Forest |
|
Le Matais Consulting |
|
Life Balance Options |
|
Linklaters |
|
L'Oreal UK |
|
Microlink |
|
Mitie |
|
New Edge |
|
Office of the Public Guardian |
|
OK2 Limited |
|
Olympic Delivery Authority |
|
PricewaterhouseCoopers |
|
Randstad |
|
Royal Bank of Scotland |
|
Santander UK Plc |
|
Slough Borough Council Education & Children's Services |
|
SNA Secretarial |
|
Talk Talk |
|
The Electoral Commission |
|
University of London |
How are mentees and mentors matched?
Every effort is made to match mentees with a mentor that can provide relevant advice, information and guidance in relation to the mentee’s career aspirations and degree subject. Information provided by mentors and mentees as part of the application process is used as a basis for a suitable pairing. The process also takes into account any personal preferences that individuals identify as important. It is worth bearing in mind that although mentors may now be employed by a particular employer, their work history often includes posts in other industries and sectors. Mentors can also draw on their network of colleagues to connect their mentee to individuals with experience and knowledge in specific areas.
Are mentors trained?
Yes. All mentors are required to undergo full training and they receive a mentor handbook and other career guidance information. Training covers the following main topics:
• helping mentors develop confidence about managing the role of a mentor;
• confidentiality and managing personal and professional boundaries;
• an introduction to the aims of the scheme and its ground rules;
• an introduction to the principles of mentoring and coaching;
• tips on questioning techniques and how to conduct an effective mentoring meeting
• identifying and examining the main qualities and skills needed to become an effective mentor;
• developing the skills necessary to build rapport, trust and a good working relationship with a mentee.
4. Mentor meetings
Where will meetings take place?
Although mentors and mentees are free to make their own arrangements, they tend to meet at the mentor’s workplace. It is important to confine your meeting venues to places that reflect the professional nature of the mentoring relationship. Mentees can claim reimbursement of travel expenses. Contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator for details.
How often do mentors and mentees meet?
Mentors and mentees aim to meet on a monthly basis at the mentor’s workplace. This means meeting on six or seven occasions between November and May including the first meeting at the launch event and the end of programme award ceremony.
How much time do I need to allow for meetings?
Mentoring meetings should be scheduled for one to two hours. Allow 15-30 minutes for preparation and follow up for each meeting. Additional time for emailing and phone calls should be added. It is estimated that over the period of the programme, mentoring will take up approximately 2.5- 4 hours per month. This includes training, midterm evaluation and the end of programme award ceremony. These times apply to both mentors and mentees. Mentees should allow additional time for travelling to and from the mentor’s workplace.
5. Making the most of the programme
What are mentees expected to do?
Mentees make a commitment to:
• work with a mentor from November to May
• meet their mentor at their work place on a monthly basis and maintain contact between meetings by email and telephone;
• attend induction training, career development events, an evaluation meeting and the end of programme award ceremony;
• agree an action plan with their mentor and update it regularly;
• respond to correspondence in connection with the programme, including evaluation questionnaires;
• write a short review at the end of the scheme;
• notify their mentor in advance if they are unable to attend a meeting;
• keep the University Mentoring Co-ordinator informed of any concerns or difficulties or missed meetings.
How do mentees get the best from the mentoring programme?
Successful mentees take an active role in the mentoring relationship to maximise the input of their mentor. A mentee may be aiming to achieve a number of things with the help of their mentor, so it is important for a mentee to take some time to write down a few initial thoughts on what they want to achieve. These can be discussed at the first meeting.
Mentees gain most from mentoring when they use the action planning form throughout the programme. The action planning form is a tool that helps identify key objectives and maps the route, timescale and types of support needed to deliver the outcomes they prioritise.
Mentors agree to join the project for many different reasons, but whatever their individual motivation, they will be encouraged by a mentee’s that is enthusiastic and a committed to meeting regularly.
Do’s and don’ts.
Do. . .
• attend the induction briefing on how to get the best from mentoring;
• agree convenient times to meet and/or email/phone;
• consider carefully any actions that may be misinterpreted ;
• accept increasing responsibility for managing the relationship;
• record plans for key objectives on the action planning form;
• prepare an exit plan for the end of the mentoring relationship;
• seek advice from the Mentoring Co-ordinator if a problem arises.
Don’t. . .
• become dependent on the mentor;
• expect the mentor to know all the answers;
• be over demanding on your mentor’s time.
What do I do if things are not working out?
Although the vast majority of mentoring relationships run relatively smoothly, some partnerships encounter difficulties. This can be as a result of changing circumstances such as a new job or increased workload, relocation or a ‘clash of personalities’. In all cases it is vital to alert the University’s Mentoring Co-ordinator at the earliest opportunity to any problems or concerns.
Some mentoring pairs find it easy to strike up a good rapport during the first meeting. In other cases it takes a little longer to get to know each other. Establishing a good relationship can take different routes, and mentors and mentees that focus on what they would like to achieve from mentoring (specific goals) tend to build rapport quicker. The best partnerships rely on commitment from both parties, and mentoring is no different.
