Future Ready Mentoring offers students and recent graduates from the University of Westminster the chance to learn from industry professionals and enhance their employability prospects.
Types of mentoring support
Future Ready Mentoring at the University of Westminster offers students three types of mentoring support during their time at University:
Available as either a six-month or three-month long cycle, this programme connects current students and recent graduates with mentors for a long-term mentoring relationship.
This programme gives students and recent graduates the chance to have a one-off conversation with an experienced professional mentor.
Course-embedded group mentoring sessions are integrated in select modules across the University to give students a chance to learn from a mentor during timetabled teaching.
Use your experience to help our students succeed
Mentoring supports students to gain valuable advice, a professional insight, grow in confidence and gain an understanding of what it might be like to work in a particular industry.
Daberechi Nwagu, Real Estate Development MSc and a mentee on the Career Mentoring Programme, was matched with a Surveyor at Savills.
"I found the University's mentoring experience invaluable and believe that I have been able to enhance my employability skills and confidence throughout the mentoring programme.
From our very first meeting, my mentor always provided me with excellent advice and feedback on how I could enhance my employability skills and improve my CV and Cover letter.
Additionally, they always went above and beyond to keep me up to date with things happening within the industry by continuously sending me articles and resources that I could read to expand my knowledge in the field.
I'm incredibly grateful for all of the advice and support that she gave me throughout the mentoring programme."
Find out how you can make difference to our students' employability prospects by offering your time as a mentor.
What our mentees say
These students took part in the career mentoring scheme where current students and recent graduates are connected with mentors for a long-term mentoring relationship.
Selin Efraimova Ismetova
Selin Efraimova Ismetova, International Media Business MA and mentoring ambassador was matched with a Director at Adobe.
“I am indebted that I have been matched with Lucas as a mentor. Since our first meeting, we realised that we have similar visions, which established a positive environment.
His consistent guidance and support encouraged me to better understand my academic interests overall and have a clear vision in my professional development.
Lucas was flexible, open-minded, encouraging and willing to share his knowledge and assistance. I have gained a strong foundation in an industry that can be confusing, and challenging especially when you are a graduate.
Overall, this opportunity was extremely beneficial, which avail to evolve my soft skills, and execute the SMART framework. The Mentoring Cycle made a real difference in my career development, from supporting inclusion through exposure to new perspectives to improving confidence.”
Frances Wireko
Frances Wireko, Business Intelligence & Analytics MSc and mentoring ambassador was matched with the Vice President Project Management Lead at Citi.
“Participating in the future-ready mentorship programme has given me a better understanding of the measures I need to take to advance my career.
Thanks to my mentor's guidance, I secured an internship with the Westminster Communities Consultancy Programme (WCCP) and a volunteer role at the British Heart Foundation which has helped me, as an international student, gain more professional experience. The pairing of professionals from the same field was also ideal for me as she provided me with industry-specific insights and shared her experiences and journey with me.
Although the programme is over, my mentor agreed to continue the relationship beyond the programme and is still actively supporting me in achieving my goals by sharing job roles with me, proofreading my CV and cover letters as well as prepping for interviews and sharing sample interview questions with me. With her unwavering encouragement, she has helped boost my confidence and I am truly lucky to have been a part of this programme. I would strongly advise my peers to participate in this programme.”
Kwabena Owusu Kwarteng
Kwabena Owusu Kwarteng, Financial Technology with Business Analytics MSc and mentoring ambassador, was matched with a Business Analyst at Cognizant.
“I participated in the mentorship programme last year while pursuing my graduate degree in Financial Tech. I realised that the industry is somewhat new, and I need the help of a mentor to navigate and find where I can truly apply myself and build my career from there. I signed up for the mentoring programme with one clear goal. I wanted to better understand the industry and the job market. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor than Akhilesh, he came in with a great level of insight and willingness to help push me even further. He helped connect me to relevant industry players and guided me on my CV and how best to leverage my work experience and my Westminster degree. We both connected to our love for STEM and how best to apply technology to complex business issues. I am forever grateful for such a wonderful experience and a great pairing with Akhilesh.
I continue to keep in touch with him and he is always willing to support me.”
Ezekiel Edoba
Ezekiel Edoba, Real Estate BSc and participant in the career mentoring programme was matched with the Head of Future Talent at Savills. Following his mentoring experience, Ezekiel has offered and accepted a position on the Savills Housing Graduate Programme.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity the university provided with the mentoring scheme. I had a mentor in my 2nd year who helped me gain summer internship experience and helped me network within Savills she guided me through the application process then within my final year I was lucky enough to be put with the Head of HR who gave me tips on what I should do within my interviews and how I should prepare which helped me with my success in obtaining graduate offers.”