• Access to a professional who can provide impartial practical advice.
• Develop professional work ready skills e.g. confidence and networking
• Insight into the working world (how to behave, what is expected from them)
• Provides 1:1 attention for the student from someone who is not a parent or teacher

• Focus on progress
• Development driven
• Long term
• A mentor is in a more senior position and acts as a role model
• The mentor will share their knowledge and experience

• Task orientated
• Performance driven
• Short term and define timeframe
• Coach does not always have knowledge related to their coachee
• The coachee has all the answers

Ice-breaker

12 monthly meetings

Masterclasses

Skills Identifier review

 Students apply to be part of the Career Ready programme and are interviewed.

They will have taken part in a masterclass before their first meeting with you and will have an idea of what to expect from their mentor meetings.

Students want to:

Critical to mentoring success:

12 meetings:

*National programme operated at a local level so expect small variances at times.

The mentor handbook will be available in your volunteer portal in 'More' under the 'My Resources' section, once you have been matched to a school/college & Student.

We ask that you familiarise yourself with the handbook content prior to meeting with your student, as it holds useful information such as Safeguarding, hints and tips and agenda items.

Please review each agenda item before and during your mentor meetings to ensure core topics are covered across the year.

Each agenda has clear learning outcomes for the students which will helps to guide the mentor and student in their initial discussions.

Students will over time come with their own set of required outcomes – which absolutely should be prioritised and, in most cases, will overlap or reflect the programme structure. 

As a social mobility charity, we work with young people who face a combination of barriers in education and employment that cause their talents to go undiscovered.

By connecting them to workplace opportunities and support, we aim to empower them to achieve their potential.

These are the demographics of the 2022-23 cohort:

Our programme is evaluated against a series of outcomes, outlined in our Impact Framework. The short-term outcomes we want young people to achieve during their time on the programme are:

• Increased confidence 
• Increased resilience 
• Improved networks 
• Greater awareness of workplace environments and behaviours 
• Increased understanding of the opportunities available to them 
• The ability to make career decisions which feel right for them 
• Improved Skills for Career Success 

These outcomes are measured across four student surveys throughout the course of the programme, usually in February, May, September, and December. 

Different outcomes are measured at different stages, but students are asked to self-assess their Skills for Career Success in all four surveys. This is an important tool both for the young person’s self-reflection and to help track the effectiveness of our programme. 

Completing the surveys 

Students are emailed a unique link inviting them to complete each survey online. They can also locate this by logging in to their Career Ready portal and accessing the 'My Surveys' section. These surveys are a compulsory part of the Career Ready programme and we recommend mentors support students to work through the Skills Identifier in this handbook during a mentoring meeting, before the student completes the full survey online. 

Reviewing results

Top-line results are analysed after each survey closes and are shared with students, school coordinators and mentors via monthly email bulletins. You may find it useful to discuss these results with your mentee and use the information to identify areas to focus on.

I communicate well and feel confident getting to know new people.

Team working

I am able to work with others to achieve a set goal

Creativity

I am able to think of my own ideas and how they relate to the task I am working on

Self management

I am responsible for my own behaviour and can organise my time to achieve my goals

Adaptability

I can react positively to change and see challenges as a way to improve my skill set

Managing my career 

I can identify careers and understand the entry requirements and skills that are needed

Problem solving and analysis

I can analyse problems and develop a plan to solve them

The Skills Identifier

The 'skills identifier' (located at the back of your handbook) demonstrates the Skills for Career Success and is a great tool for students to reflect on their progress with their mentor.

It also gives both of you a starting point to begin the discussion of what areas to focus on.

Students will complete this 4 times during the programme

This is included in the mentor and student handbook. Also covered in the monthly mentor bulletins.

When you login to your portal you will see ‘More’ along the top bar. Select this.

You will be given 3 options. Choose ‘My Activities’.

Once you are in ‘My Activities’ you will see the option to Record New Activity select this to add in details.

Modelling good behaviour

Remember that you are the adult in this situation and initially you may need to lead the relationship more than you would if it was with one of your peers.

Challenge inappropriate behaviour

Give the student a chance to explain themselves if they have behaved inappropriately. Let them know why their behaviour is not acceptable and the impact it has had on you or others. Move on.

Put yourself in their shoes

Understand their aspirations and barriers. At 16/17/18 a young person’s life is changing dramatically and they are the busiest they have ever been, empathise with their situation.

Be consistent in your approach

Setting objectives at the start

The skills for Career Success Identifier allows you to do that.

Think of new ways to engage your student 

Invite to meetings, events, training sessions, introduce them to resources and colleagues.

Don’t give up at the first hurdle 

Mentoring a young person can be hard for all the reasons we have discussed. It is rewarding but those rewards come over the long term and you may find your communication skills stretched in a way they are not at work. We ask that you commit to helping a young person on this journey which means hanging in there and looking at how you can overcome problems.

Ask for the key academic dates in the year

Not only will you know when the school holidays are but you will get an idea of when exams and coursework deadlines are.

Ask for help

Ask for help at any time rather than struggling or not enjoying the experience. This can be from the Coordinator (especially if student specific) or your Career Ready Regional Manager. We are here to support you every step of the way.

If you are having a virtual mentor meeting rather than face to face, please follow the guidance below. We recommend no more than 3 of your meetings be virtual. 

Our Safeguarding Guidelines remain the same as outlined in our Safeguarding Policy available in the 'Useful link” section in your volunteer portal and in the safeguarding training module. 

Video Conference best practice

Student seeming unresponsive or not interested 

This could be because they are nervous, not confident. Being mentored by a business person can be a major thing for some students. Persevere with the meetings and use some of the practical suggestions to engage them. Each meeting reflect on learning from the last meeting so they can see progress.

Problems making contact to arrange meetings

Always try to book in the next meeting each time you meet. Some students will have free periods before or after lunch, others will need to meet out of school hours so work together to find the best time. If you are waiting for a response from a student and they are not responding to email or phone then you need to ask the Coordinator for help.

Student cancelling meeting or not turning up

We all have to cancel meetings from time to time but if this is done on a regular basis or without explanation you need to let the student know it is not acceptable and the impact it has on your time. If you cannot get in touch with the student then you need to ask the Coordinator for help.

You are not sure how you can help

Sometimes a relationship with a confident student may be difficult if you are not sure where you can add value. Remember that the young person you are working with will have very little, if any, experience of the working world so you should be able to help them in many practical ways using the suggested agendas in the book. Just because you can’t see the impact you are having does not mean you are not having one.

Where would be a good place to meet 

We suggest that the majority of your mentoring sessions are at your workplace. This is more time efficient for mentors and also gives students experience of the workplace. If for any reason that is not practical you could meet your student at their school/college or a public place such as a coffee shop.  Alternatively, you can arrange to meet online, we do recommend you meet no more than 3 times virtually. 

If you suspect abuse, if a young person confides in you or if a complaint it made about any adult or yourself, it is your duty to report the concern. If you have any concerns about discussions that have taken place please contact Career Ready Safeguarding Officers at info@careerready.org.uk.

The safeguarding policy is available via the website and in the 'my resources' section in your volunteer portal.

More details can be found in the safeguarding training.

All mentors on the Career Ready programme must have a valid DBS check issued by Career Ready less than 3 years ago or belong to the update service and be able to provide the information required to check against this.

Without a valid DBS check you must not contact and meet your mentee and will not be allocated to a school and matched to a student.

If you have any questions your DBS check, please contact us via volunteersupport@careerready.org.uk. The DBS check is free of charge for mentors with Career Ready.

You will be required to visit the Post Office with your confirmation form and original ID to complete the DBS check process.

There are different ways in which you can find support during your journey as a volunteer and different places you can find resources:

Buying a student a drink in a coffee shop (non -alcoholic) is absolutely fine, as long as it’s made clear that the student isn’t expected to pay ‘next time’.

Yes, as long as you remain with the mentee at all times and supervise any conversations. You should also ensure they leave either before you or at the same time with you. It is best practice to also inform the school or college coordinator and add the meeting/event to your portal. Please also refer to our Safeguarding training.

Yes, however you must be present in any meeting or call whether that be in person, online or a telephone call as you are DBS checked, you must not leave them unattended.

If you are unable to attend a meeting then you can get in touch with the school/college coordinator or your regional manager who might be able to be present instead.

All meetings should be arranged via yourself, do not share your mentees contact information with colleagues. Please also refer to our Safeguarding training

Many students have a young persons bus or train pass, some centres also have travel funds available to students to help with the cost.

Please speak to your centre coordinator or regional manager if you have any concerns about this.   

Unless you are based in a location where public transport is limited or not available, most students are aware they might be travelling to a workplace for their mentor meetings. However, if you have any concerns about the distance, we recommend having a conversation with your mentee and the school/college coordinator to discuss it further.

You should contact the school or college coordinator and you can also CC in your Career Ready regional manager to make them aware. We will also cover this on our mentor briefing session. 

If you haven't completed your DBS Application form yet you will have been sent an email directly from First Advantage/KYP with a link to do so, however if you have not received this link or have a DBS with us but the issue date is approaching 3 years, please use this link and information to complete one:

To complete your DBS application please follow this link -https://app.knowyourpeople.co.uk/register?org=ORG-YMJFY3GV&accessCode=careerreadyPO and supply the Organisation ID ORG-YMJFY3GV and Access Code ‘careerreadyPO’ when prompted.  

DBS update service (using a DBS from another organisation) If you have a  DBS registered on the update service and it was an Enhanced Child DBS, you can contact volunteersupport@careerready.org.uk and you will be provided with a form to complete and be asked for a copy of the DBS certificate you have used to register with the update service.

Once your application is complete (mentor form + DBS), you will be contacted by Career Ready to let you know if/when you have been allocated to a school/centre (around December time). And later on, you will be informed when you have been matched to a student and the date of the icebreaker (Dec-Jan). 

You will also need to complete the Volunteer Induction and the safeguarding training modules.

Visit your volunteer portal under the “My Resources” section where you will find the other two trainings available: Induction and Safeguarding, as well as all the useful links referred in your trainings.

Sign up to attend one of our live mentor briefings via Eventbrite. All volunteers wishing to mentor are asked to attend a briefing even if you have previously mentored with us and attended in the past, as information and advice can change year on year.

SIGN UP HERE.

Please note: that we cannot guarantee that you will be matched to a student as there are alot of factors to take into consideration. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.