“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
Top Related