STLHE 2016 SAPES

How do we go about creating learners who are empowered to meet the changing demands of the workplace and who can confidently apply their skills and knowledge as they transition from postsecondary education? This session will share the outcomes of a mentorship program that was designed to support students in successfully navigating the challenges they face as they approach graduation and enter the workforce. The program paired third and fourth year undergraduate students with mentors from the community, many of whom were university alumni. The mentorship pairs met over a period of six months for a minimum of twelve hours to discuss topics such as career options, networking, how to execute a successful job search, and personal development. In this context, the current research used a mixed-methods design including quantitative and qualitative data from both mentees and mentors to investigate a variety of mentoring outcomes. Key outcomes for mentees included psychosocial support as well as career-related benefits such as higher confidence in the ability to search for a job, a more realistic view of the workplace, exploration of career options, and development of networking skills. The data also revealed lessons for the design of mentoring programs such as the necessity of good preparation and support for mentees. Results suggested that more successful mentoring relationships occurred when students had specific goals regarding mentorship as well as skills to take initiative during mentorship meetings. Conference participants will learn about the benefits of formal undergraduate mentoring programs and will be given the opportunity to consider how some of the implications for program design and delivery might apply to their own institutions.