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Empowering, Enlightening & Developing Every year around 740,000 students leave UK universities with their degrees in hand, most on the hunt for employment. But the competition for graduate roles is fierce, with most new graduates entering the job market at the same time each year, many can end up feeling lost. City, ranked highly in the UK for both graduate employability and starting salaries, supports students’ career progression in many innovative ways. One of the most successful initiatives is the nationally-accredited Professional Mentoring Programme which matches students with experienced professionals to develop their skills, confidence and future employability. The team brokers relationships that enable the student journey, empower students and prepare them for the world of work. Since 2002 the scheme, led by Professional Mentoring Leader, Thalia Anagnostopoulou, has established 1,567 Professional Mentoring Relationships. It supports 400 pairs and is on offer to second and third year undergraduate and taught postgraduate students who need industry insight, guidance and support. “Applicants go through a rigorous selection process and have to be willing to invest and commit time and effort in their development. If successful, students have the opportunity to engage in a mentoring relationship with an experienced
Taryn (left) and Thalia (right) working through the applications
individual who advises, supports and guides them as a professional role model” Thalia explains. “Our mentors are committed, caring and charismatic professionals from various backgrounds. 71 per cent are alumni, 13 per cent are staff members and 16 per cent have been referred to the team. In 2015/16, eight previous ‘mentees’ joined the scheme as mentors which is evidence of the impact the process had on their lives and of how they want to give back to the next generation of mentees” she continues. Clare Reilly, Corporate Relations Manager at Citizens Advice, has been a professional mentor for City for the past eight years and won ‘mentor of the year’ in 2010. “I started mentoring because at the time I was working in the commercial sector and feeling a bit disillusioned, so was looking to get more involved in volunteering projects. I had no expectations of any benefits for me when I joined, I was genuinely hoping to help a student who might be feeling a bit lost, the way I did when I was approaching the end of university.” “I didn’t realise the positive impact the scheme would have on my life or that I would have on my mentees. The impact was so far-reaching that I quit my job the next year and joined the charity sector. I’ve developed much deeper relationships with the
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mentees that were more driven to succeed and really knew what they wanted to get out of the programme.” “You cannot underestimate the value of sharing your experiences and knowledge with someone who is feeling unsure, insecure or knows their ultimate career goal but not how to get there.” In 2013 due to high demand from students, the scheme - which has been growingly rapidly since 2002 - introduced a second intake and a postgraduate strand, co-ordinated by Taryn Ferris. Members of the 2014/15 mentee cohort were asked if they felt more employable after the process and 78 per cent of respondents stated that they did. In 2015/16, 340 undergraduate and 60 postgraduate pairs were formed. Maria Rudd, a 2nd year undergraduate Mathematics and Finance student 3 months into her relationship, says “ultimately I think this programme is important as it gives students someone who is focused solely on their progress rather than a whole class. Being a mentee gave me the opportunity to hear first-hand what it takes to become a professional, from someone who has gone through the same journey I am taking today. It has allowed me to consider what actions I must take to ensure I can reach where I want to be in the future.”