Career Mentor Scheme broadens its horizons

The Career Mentor Scheme brings bright, enthusiastic second year undergraduate students together with successful professionals who support students by providing invaluable insight, advice and guidance regarding their chosen career for 12 months.

During 2012-2013 the scheme supported 115 mentoring matches, including the first ever five international mentoring matches.

The mentoring successes were heard at the scheme’s annual celebration event.

Peter Baldwin, Partner at Ropes & Gray LLP - also an Exeter alumnus - praised Law student Laura Clark, for securing a training contract at an international Law firm. He also explained the importance of mentoring in helping students without a family background or contacts in their chosen sector:

“I think a mentoring scheme in itself is a very small way of contributing, I hope, to creating a better and more meritocratic world where the mere fact that someone doesn’t have prebait access to what professions might be like as a result of the accident of birth is taken away,” he said.

Due to the successes, the scheme is now looking to increase the number of UK and international mentors available for 2013-2014.

Mentors can have professional experience in any career sector, but sectors in particular demand include: Education, Teaching and Research, Banking and Financial Services, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Media, Publishing and Journalism, Science, Accounting and Auditing, and Management and Consultancy.

To sign up as a mentor, please complete the following online application form before September 2013 and you could be mentoring a student for up to 12 months from January 2014. For more information, please visit the Career Mentor Scheme webpage, or contact Jane Harding j.e.harding@exeter.ac.uk 01392 722034.

If you are student interested in participating in the Scheme, please visit: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/mentor/