Become a mentor and make a difference

We’re looking for professionals to join our Mentoring at ARU programme at Anglia Ruskin University.

Volunteering as a mentor allows you to make a real difference to our students’ lives, providing them with the confidence to get started with preparing for their future careers. Mentoring is an opportunity to share your knowledge and experience, while getting to know the workforce of the future.

Mentoring at ARU is a programme which introduces university students to professionals in industry. The programme is open to all ARU students, but is particularly targeted at these demographics:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students
• care leavers
• students who have come to us from geographical areas that tend to send fewer than average students to university.

This is because we’re committed to our widening participation work. We want to address areas where national data suggests we can make a real difference to equality of outcomes no matter a person’s background – by joining Mentoring at ARU you can support us in this endeavour.

How does the programme work?

We invite our students to submit an application to join the programme and become a ‘mentee’. To be accepted, they must demonstrate an understanding of the programme and a commitment to complete it via orientation activities.

We’ll allocate each student a mentor, and provide a framework guide based on five meetings. Each meeting is given a particular theme and we will suggest supporting activities for the mentee to complete with your guidance. You can use our meeting framework, or work with your student mentee to personalise your mentoring process, depending on your mentee's individual interests and aspirations. Support will be available throughout the process as required.

What commitment will be required from me as a mentor?

As a mentor, you’ll meet with your student mentee, on at least five occasions for approximately one hour each time. How frequently you meet your student mentee will depend on your availability, and your mentee’s schedule.

Ideally you will meet your student mentee at regular intervals, for example weekly or fortnightly (to complete the programme over 5-10 weeks), however, you may both choose to meet on a variable basis, planning your meetings flexibly as you move through the programme.

We’ll encourage you to meet in person when possible, but meetings can also be held over the phone or video calling platforms (for example MS Teams). The mentor and mentee will agree between themselves what is most convenient.

In terms of time commitment, you will spend around 30 minutes on our orientation activities to start the programme, plus five hours of meeting time with your student mentee minimum (you can meet for more hours if you choose).

You may also be invited to optional networking events associated with the Mentoring at ARU programme, or requested to provide your feedback on the programme via survey. You can also volunteer to help with online promotions.

Mentoring at ARU runs on a rolling basis, so how much time you have to complete the programme together, depends on how close you are to the project deadline when your match starts, we will communicate this to you when we identify a mentee match.

(Please note: during the Covid-19 pandemic the Mentoring at ARU programme will operate in line with current official guidelines, inclusive of any associated events, therefore the majority of the programme may take place online).

There are benefits for you too!

Mentoring is often used as a developmental opportunity for early to mid-career professionals, as research shows that people taking on the role of mentor consistently report experiencing a number of positives such as:

• increased self-reflection – asking questions of a mentee supports deeper insight on your own learning path and achievements
• expanded connections and networks – you never know where your student mentee may end up in the future, they could be a great contact
• improved communication empathy, listening and personal skills, leadership and management qualities
• increased confidence and motivation.
• an opportunity to boost your own volunteering experience

And that’s not to mention the sense of fulfilment you’ll experience by helping an individual grow to be the best that they can be, fittingly in line with our University’s motto: Excellence through partnership.

FAQs

This sounds great, how can I get involved?

Simply register your interest below and we’ll be in touch with further details.

Any questions?

Email Katie Johnson (née Smith), Employability & Careers Adviser (Mentoring & Activators): katie.smith1@aru.ac.uk

To find out more about the ways you can volunteer to be involved with Employability & Careers at ARU email employability@aru.ac.uk