Working regularly with individual or small groups of students over 16 years old to provide personalised/tailored support, either virtually or in-person. 

Mentoring provides students with personalised support that can hugely benefit their future outcomes. By working with individuals or small groups on a regular basis, staff mentors see an immediate impact and ongoing progress, which can be incredibly rewarding. Staff volunteering as mentors also get to develop their own interpersonal and communication skills. Once the programme has been run once, the cycle can be repeated annually. 

Quick Stats – Mentoring
Time commitment
Mentor: ~2 hrs/month
Organiser: ~15 min/student
Age group
Year 12 and 13
Volunteers needed
1:1 or small groups
Complexity
Higher — sustained programme
Timetable – Mentoring
Example timetables
Example A
Face to Face
Students attend mentoring meetings with their mentors at your workplace over the course of an academic year.
Pre-mentoring
3:00–4:30 pm
Welcome session
Mentors and students gather for an event introducing them to the mentoring programme and each other. Best held after school in September or October.
Monthly mentoring
1 hr/month
Monthly mentoring sessions
Mentors and students meet once a month at your workplace over the academic year. Topics can be guided by you or agreed between mentor and mentee.
Post-mentoring
3:00–4:30 pm
Closing celebration event
Bring all mentors and students together to mark the end of the programme. You could invite parents and present students with certificates.
💡 Delivery tips
1
The welcome session works best held after school early in the year — September or October.
2
Run a training session for mentors before the programme begins — provide guidance on structuring sessions and working with students.
3
Provide mentors with a handbook covering safeguarding guidelines and suggested activities.
4
Provide students with a mentoring diary to record their key learnings and reflections after each session.
5
Encourage mentors to liaise with each other and share learnings throughout the programme.
6
Offer financial support for students to travel to your offices if needed.
Welcome
Monthly sessions
Closing event
Example B
Online
Students join online mentoring sessions with their mentors — particularly helpful where locations don't allow for regular in-person meetings.
Pre-mentoring
3:00–4:00 pm
Virtual welcome session
Mentors and students gather online for an introduction to the mentoring programme and each other. Use Zoom or MS Teams.
Mentoring meetings
1 hr fortnightly or monthly
Online mentoring sessions
Mentors and mentees meet online — fortnightly or monthly. Pairs can also meet more regularly if needed. Small groups work well if there are more students than mentors.
Post-mentoring
3:00–4:00 pm
Virtual closing event
Mentors and students gather online for a celebration event to formally close the programme. Could also be arranged in person.
💡 Delivery tips
1
Use a platform like Zoom or MS Teams to allow mentoring pairs or groups to meet each other virtually.
2
If there are more students than mentors, small groups can work well online.
3
Formally closing the programme is important — it allows time for feedback, reflections and celebration.
4
Ask students to complete a pre-mentoring questionnaire about their goals and interests to help match them with the right mentor.
5
Ensure the school allocates a staff member to oversee the project — this is essential for safeguarding.
Welcome
Monthly sessions
Closing event
 

Conditions for Success

  • Ensure that the school/college can allocate a staff member to oversee the project - this is essential for safeguarding students  

  • Get the school to provide relevant curriculum information so that sessions can be tailored  

  • Provide financial support for students to travel to your offices if needed 

  • Ensure staff are trained/supported throughout the programme – they should know who to go to if they have questions/concerns about student safety or need guidance about how to structure their sessions 

  • Encourage mentors to liaise amongst themselves and share learnings 

“We enjoy working more intensely with students over an extended period to share our expertise. Seeing their progress is rewarding.”
“Providing students with ongoing one to one support builds their confidence and improves their academic outcomes.”
“We really appreciate the personalised support from employees and the visits to the office boost our confidence of being in the workplace.”
 

Maximising impact

Additional components you could include 

  • Workplace tour – could be incorporated into the welcome session to give students an initial understanding of what your company does 

  • Work- shadowing – offer students the chance to ‘shadow’ their mentor for a day  

  • Debrief activity - provide participants with time to reflect on the experiences they have had with you, identify insights gained, skills learned, and new interests developed.  

Priming and debriefing support 

  • Ask students to complete a pre-mentoring questionnaire about their goals and interests. This can help the student to think about what they want to get out of the mentoring and can help you to match them with appropriate mentors 

  • Ask students to complete a takeaway task of putting together a personal development/action plan based on what they have learnt during the mentoring 

  • Provide the school/college with detailed feedback on the progress of the students – which skills they excelled in and areas for further development   

  • Provide schools/colleges with information about opportunities at your organisation which they can use in follow-up careers conversations with students 

Learning Outcomes – Mentoring
Introduce and Inspire

Students have a much deeper understanding of workplace skills and how they can assess their current skill level.

Investigate and Explore

Students really understand the different roles within the organisation.

Apply and Demonstrate

By providing feedback to the school and families, students can really demonstrate what they have learnt and how that has impacted their career decision making.