Objective:
- To support students' personal development
- To support the development of students intra and extra-curricular projects and enterprises.
- To provide students with opportunities to develop ideas, take actions and reflect on progress.
- To assist students in identifying and exploiting networks and support available to them.
Introduction:
At Glyndwr University, every student and graduate is offered the support of a dedicated mentor to support them in their enterprising endeavours, facilitated through the University's ZONE Enterprise Hub (this mentoring has been both core funded by the institution, and supported through the pan-Wales HEFCW funded Enterprise Support Programme).
Figure 1: ZONE Enterprise Hub at Glyndwr University
In the period July 2014 – July 2015, 158 such mentoring appointments were conducted, supporting the creation and development of 40 new businesses.
This mentoring takes many forms, and plays a vital role in students' development in a number of ways. This can range from supporting the development of clear and original ideas, to facilitating effective reflection and evaluation on progress, to providing specific contacts and information to address aproblem, or exploit an opportunity.
This mentoring has been delivered one-to-one, and one-to-many, sometimes as a standalone occurrence, and sometimes developing into relationships that persist for a considerable length of time.
Beneficiaries of this mentoring service have come from all programmes and levels of study, with enquiries ranging from looking to launch businesses, to requiring support with enterprising projects related to their academic study, to those looking for broader personal development.
The following is an indicative example of how the mentoring service has been utilised by one such student.
Activity:
Mentee – 2x MA Education Students
Figure 1. The ZONE Enterprise Hub at Glyndwr University
Two students of MA education programmes at Glyndwr University attending mentoring appointments, looking for support in developing a new social enterprise, offering a variety of youth services.
The students had extensive subject knowledge, and good business knowledge, gained from both their education and employment, however, both found the mentoring environment to be beneficial as a sounding board for ideas, as a place to stimulate reflection on progress and to plan and prioritise actions, and as a source of motivation as they progressed.
The mentoring relationship consisted of approximately fortnightly appointments over a period of a several months, interspersed by regular email correspondence, providing the students with regular opportunities to report on their progress, reflect on the actions they were taking, to goal set, and to remain motivated.
Once the students had achieved their primary goal of establishing their social enterprise, the intensity of this mentoring relationship was reduced, but through periodic email correspondence, opportunities for continued personal and professional development were promoted and discussed.
Impact:
The mentoring intervention allowed the students to make faster progress than would otherwise have been possible, maintaining their focus, not allowing themselves to dwell on arbitrary decisions, reflecting carefully on important decisions, and through discussion with one another and their mentor, finding effective solutions to problems as they arose.
Upon establishing their social enterprise, the students continued to progress their MA studies, whilst exploring various business opportunities.
Resources:
For further examples of mentoring, see Animal Studies and Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies
References:
Zone Enterprise Hub. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: https://moodle.glyndwr.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=37%2522%2520target%253D%2522_blank%2522. [Accessed 24 August 2015].
Author:
With thanks to ZONE Enterprise Hub, Glyndwr University