Over the past academic year, the University of Westminster’s award-winning Future Ready Mentoring programmes have enhanced Westminster students’ employability more than ever before – facilitating 1706 mentoring relationships for students and recent graduates, with over 3,300 hours of mentoring completed in 2022/23.
A flagship programme within the University’s Employability strategy, Future Ready Mentoring provides a range of opportunities to support mentors and mentees from every background, industry and career level. Through the programmes, students have the opportunity to connect with experienced professionals to help develop skills, build networks and gain insights into the world of work.
With a pool of over 2000 registered mentors from organisations including Savills, The Howard de Walden Estate, JP Morgan and Cognizant to name a few, the mentoring programmes create connections between Westminster current students, recent graduates, the alumni community and beyond.
Future Ready Mentoring was shortlisted for the prestigious 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Awards in the Outstanding Support for Students category. Most recently, the University has been shortlisted as a finalist for the National Enterprise Educator Awards in the Enterprise Catalyst category – recognising the University’s commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship through a number of programmes including in-curriculum enterprise group mentoring.
Frances Wireko, a Business Intelligence & Analytics MSc (now Data Science and Analytics MSc) graduate, said: “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 and a volunteering role at the British Heart Foundation. Connecting professionals and students interested in the same field meant my mentor could provide me with industry-specific insights and share her experiences and journey with me.”
Olga Rozaridou, a Finance BSc Honours student, said: “Connecting with a mentor from my desired industry was incredibly beneficial. My mentors' practical insights and advice were invaluable in shaping my career path. The mentorship facilitated open communication, guiding me through decisions and offering real-world perspectives. I highly recommend the programme to fellow students and graduates. Learning directly from a seasoned professional has accelerated my growth and understanding of the industry. This mentorship opportunity has been instrumental in helping me work towards my professional goals, and I am deeply grateful for the support and guidance I received.”
First piloted in 2021/22 as an innovative way to integrate mentoring into the curriculum, the year 9 group mentoring programmes were delivered in select modules across the University allowing 633 students to benefit from group mentoring as part of timetabled teaching.
Mentoring Manager Zurria Qureshi said: “Mentoring is such a powerful and transformative tool to support our students and recent graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to tackle the working world with confidence. Our Future Ready Mentoring programmes have grown from strength to strength, with over 3,300 mentoring hours completed in 2022/23. Through activities such as bringing mentors into the classroom, it’s clear just how vital connecting with industry professionals can be to enhance student experience and enable them to make informed career choices as they plan out their future.”
Future Ready Mentoring has three branches of activity open to students and recent graduates: long-term Career Mentoring, course-embedded Group Mentoring and a short-term Ask a Mentor service. Each pathway connects mentees with experienced professionals to support the development of sector knowledge, build interpersonal skills and expand professional networks.
Find more information or learn how to join the Future Ready Mentoring programmes as a mentor.
