“REACHING MORE OF THE HARD TO REACH – MENTORING IN THE CURRICULUM”

Brunel Pro-Active Mentoring Programme

• An integrated, targeted approach to alumni mentoring

• A pilot study for the MERITS Project (Minority Ethnic Recruitment Information Training & Support)

• Project Team:– Jonathan Wolff, Head of Careers Service

– Kulvinder Birring, Senior Careers Adviser

– Mariann Rand-Weaver, Director of Undergraduate Courses -

Biological Sciences

In this session we will cover:

• Rationale behind the Brunel Pro-active Mentoring pilot

• Key aims and features of the pilot study

• How the pilot was integrated into an academic module

• Purpose and content of preparatory networking session

• Mechanics of organising the mentoring

• “Hands-on” look at the objective setting exercise

• Feedback – what the students thought of the programme

• QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

“REACHING MORE OF THE HARD TO REACH – MENTORING IN THE CURRICULUM”

RATIONALE BEHIND BRUNEL PILOT (1)

• High proportion of Brunel students are Black/Asian– 5,000 (out of total of 12,000) across Brunel– 50% of students on Uxbridge campus– five departments are more than 60% non-white

• Mentoring schemes do not support majority at Brunel:– only a small number of places– attract only well-motivated, employable people– those who need them most have little Careers Service contact– happen outside courses - not linked to departmental initiatives– some students don’t wish to be seen as having problems

RATIONALE BEHIND BRUNEL PILOT (2)

• If a scheme is to reach specific groups (e.g. Black/Asian):

– Best way to do this is by targeting courses with highest ratios & ensure ALL students on the courses take part in the scheme

AIMS OF THE PILOT STUDY (1):

• To deliver an innovative mentoring scheme which will:

– Be inclusive for all students within a targeted group

– Enable students to take responsibility for the process

– Link with other skills initiatives within targeted department

• To produce a range of support materials for mentors/tutors

AIMS OF THE PILOT STUDY (2):

• To pioneer transferable methodologies for:

– Targeting/working with students from specific groups

– Integration of mentoring/networking concepts into courses

• To develop mentoring & work experience opportunities

FEATURES OF “PROACTIVE MENTORING” (1)

• Mentoring programme integrated into skills module

– Within Biological Sciences

• Training provided for participants in:

– Networking skills

– Setting objectives for their mentoring & networking activities

• Participants attend an "Alumni Fair”

– Mentoring opportunities organised at this event

– Fair attended by Brunel Alumni & other employers

FEATURES OF “PROACTIVE MENTORING” (2)

• Participants work with a mentor and are encouraged to:

– Develop other contacts

– Arrange other work-shadowing/experience opportunities

• Project team ensures those most in need benefit

• Pilot activities linked to module assessment process

– Pilot forms used as integral part of assessed learning logs

NETWORKING SESSION

• Key objective:

– Develop students’ confidence for networking activity they will be

required to carry out prior to, and during, the mentoring programme

• Session Outcomes

– Understand how they’ve used contacts already

– Understand how contacts can help them in Career Planning

– Able to identify networks they already belong to

– Understand how to make contacts and use them effectively

CARD SORT EXERCISE

• Focal activity for mentoring preparation sessions

• Enables participants to set learning objectives for both their networking and mentoring activities

• Participants record objectives at end of exercise and have to record progress

• Mentoring outcomes model– Derived from first principles– Explains relationship between different groups of outcomes– Functions as a general Career Planning model