UEL Mentoring Scheme

One of the most successful projects to come out of ELBA’s Newham programme is the University of East London mentoring scheme - now in its fourth year, it continues to go from strength to strength. 97 mentors from six ELBA companies were matched with mentees from the university at the end of 2011. Each pairing meet at the mentors’ place of work twice a month for up to six months, focussing on developing and honing the mentees’ soft skills that are needed for job search and to enhance their contribution to the workplace.

Raksha Mehta from UEL’s employability team says of the scheme: “It is an excellent vehicle to help our students develop key skills. I have seen students develop their confidence levels through the help and support of their mentors and gain a sense of self-belief that they can compete in the very competitive labour market that they will face on graduating.”

This year, 66% of mentors stated that personal development was one of their motivations for mentoring, acknowledging the real opportunity that this type of volunteering offers for mentors to develop their own skills.

Currently, volunteer mentors from Accenture, Barclays, Barclays Capital, BT, Credit Suisse and FSA participate in this scheme and we are always looking for new companies to come on board, especially those from different business sectors.

For more information please contact Catherine Buglass: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it