What is mentoring?
Our professional mentoring programme is part of the university's Widening Access and Progression schemes and iniatives and consists of two main strands; face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring. Both strands target Home UK/EU undergraduates at Level 2 & 3 from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Ethnic Minority Undergraduate Scheme is another feature of the programme. EMUS targets students from ethnic minority backgrounds and is managed in collaboration with the National Mentoring Consortium.
All strands draw on experienced individuals from employers in the private and public sectors. Over 40 employers currently support the scheme including, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Blake Morgan LLP, GlaxoSmithKline, HM Revenue & Customs, Jaguar Land Rover, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Government Legal Service and Brunel University London.
Meeting with your Mentor
It involves meeting a mentor regularly in their workplace or virtually over a period of 6 months from November to May. The main purpose of having meetings with your mentor is to work on goals you have agreed on in an active way. Meeting your mentor allows you to build vital interpersonal skills employers expect and involve you in other essential learning and development: Mentors can facilitate:
- Mock interviews
- Work shadowing
- Practice presentations
- Meetings with your mentor's work colleagues to help build your own network.
Eligible students normally meet one or more of the criteria below:
- Students from low income households (annual household income of less than £25K)
- Students of Black and Minority Ethnic [BME] backgrounds
- Students with a disability/dyslexia
- Local authority care leavers/foster care
- Carers - has dependent children or is an adult carer
- Estranged Students (18-25yrs living independently with no contact with parents or family network)
- Refugees (have experienced serious disruption to formal education)
- Students with specific learning difficulties and mental health problems
- Students accepted on to Brunel Summer Internship Scheme (BSIP)
To help you:
- Develop essential employability skills to gain graduate level jobs
- Build self-esteem and confidence and to learn and develop vital interpersonal skills that employers expect
- Set and work towards goals
- Gain an insight into a particular industry or sector
- Identify career goals, and convert aspirations into practical steps towards securing a placement, internship or further study
- Produce an outstanding CV and improve interview skills
These programmes provide employers with a rewarding opportunity to contribute to their career and personal development of Brunel students, whilst developing their employees' mentoring and coaching skills, and building links with the University.