Become a mentor and make a difference
We’re looking for professionals to join Mentoring at ARU.
Mentoring at ARU introduces current ARU students and recent graduates to experienced professionals who volunteer their time to become a mentor.
Volunteering as a mentor allows you to make a real difference to mentees’ lives, supporting them to gain the confidence they need to start preparing for their future careers.
Mentoring is an opportunity to share your knowledge and experience, whilst getting to know the workforce of the future.
What are the main aims of the programme?
Our mentoring initiatives are designed to help students and recent graduates build their employability skills, grow in confidence, and feel well prepared to enter the workplace or pursue further study.
Students and recent graduates can apply for a mentor across our core campuses. We place particular focus on supporting:
- Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students
- Care leavers / individuals with experience being in care
- Students from areas throughout the UK that historically have lower progression rates to higher education
- Recent ARU graduates who meet programme eligibility criteria
This targeted approach reflects our commitment to widening participation. We aim to address areas where national data shows there are disparities in outcomes, ensuring every student can succeed regardless of their background. By joining Mentoring at ARU, you play an important role in supporting this mission.
Our mentoring programmes
Mentoring at ARU supports students and graduates through several distinct programmes, which have been developed as part of our continued commitment to widening participation and improving equality of outcomes.
Get a Career Mentor
Our flagship employability-focused mentoring programme, open to all current ARU students across our core campuses, with an additional focus on supporting the groups outlined in the programme overview above.
ARU Shine
An award-winning employability programme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic undergraduate students. This competitive programme offers a small cohort access to workshops led by diverse professional role models, priority access to mentoring, and tailored employability support.
ARU Professional Connect (APC)
A micro-mentoring programme for recent graduates seeking targeted support as they enter or transition within the graduate job market.
When matched with a student or graduate, mentors are informed which programme their mentee is part of and the time commitment required. Please see ‘What commitment is required from me as a mentor?’ in the FAQs below.
There are benefits for you too!
Mentoring is a fantastic developmental opportunity: research shows that people taking on the role of mentor consistently report positive experiences such as:
- increased self-reflection – asking questions of a mentee supports deeper insight into your own learning path and achievements
- expanded connections and networks – you never know where your student mentee may end up in the future, they could be a great contact
- improved communication, empathy, listening and personal skills, leadership, and management qualities
- increased confidence and motivation
- enhanced people development and volunteering experiences, which look great on your own professional profile.
And that is not to mention the sense of fulfilment you will experience by helping an individual grow to be the best that they can be, fittingly in line with our University’s motto: Excellence through partnership.
Birgit Medal, Ontology and Data Standards Expert at Pfizer provided this quote following her Mentoring at ARU experience:
“This was my first experience mentoring an undergraduate student. It was very insightful to understand some of the content and teaching of today's curriculum (I graduated >20 years ago!) and I was pleased to find out that there are many opportunities for the students to expand their experiences beyond the wall of the campus, be it through field trips, career seminars or this program. It was also a good experience for me because I could learn about how to support a student's career plans as opposed to assisting students with their lab projects which I have done in the past.
I would like to thank you for creating this opportunity for mentees and mentors. It helps those of us who are working outside of the academic system to get an insight into what is on the current curriculum and how students are getting prepared for "life after university". From what my mentee told me you offer a wealth of opportunities for them to find out about opportunities and career pathways after they graduate.”
FAQs
Get a Career Mentor
ARU Shine
ARU Professional Connect (APC)
We are currently accepting new volunteer mentors with experience in the following professional sectors/areas:
Business, Finance and Consultancy
- Accounting and Finance
- Entrepreneurship and Business Ownership (any sector)
- Management Consultancy
- Project Management
- Wealth Management and Investment Banking
Creative, Media and Communication
- Creative Industries
- Marketing, Events and Public Relations
- Publishing
- Gaming
Data, Technology and Innovation
- Data Analysis
- Technology
- AI and Robotics
- Cyber Security
Education, Coaching and Support
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Education and Teaching
- Disability and Neurodiversity
Environment, Science and Sustainability
- Animal and Environmental Sectors (including Ecology, Equine and Agriculture)
- Life Sciences
- Sustainability, Energy and Environment
Healthcare, Wellbeing and Psychology
- Health and Wellbeing
- Psychology and Mental Health
- Sport and Fitness
- Medical Professionals
Law, Government and Public Services
- Government and Public Sector (including Civil Service and Local Authorities)
- Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
- Legal Profession
Built Environment and Engineering
- Architecture and Construction
- Quantity Surveying
- Engineering
Global, Cultural and Heritage Sectors
- International Relations and Languages
- Museums, Galleries and Heritage
Operations and Logistics
- Supply Chain and Logistics
Early Careers and Talent Development
- Graduate Scheme Participants (past and present)
- Legal Training Contract Participants (past and present)
- Human Resources, Talent Acquisition and People Management
To join Mentoring at ARU, volunteer mentors must complete an online registration form. If matched with a student mentee, you’ll then be asked to complete online orientation and induction tasks which typically take between 1-1.5 hours to complete on average.
Mentors and mentees are introduced via email and arrange to complete several online or in-person meetings, each to last approximately one hour:
- Get a Career Mentor – five meetings minimum
- ARU Shine – five meetings minimum
- ARU Professional Connect (APC) – three meetings minimum
Meetings are typically completed on a fortnightly basis. After the minimum number of meetings have been conducted, you'll be asked to provide your feedback via an online survey.
Our mentoring programmes typically run between November to July annually, with deadlines communicated upon matching. Additional time for emails, calls, or extra meetings is at your discretion. You may also be invited to optional ARU mentoring events.
This video by Dr Kay Guccione will tell you more.
Please see the ‘What kinds of mentors are you looking for?’ FAQ above – we welcome mentor registrations from professionals working at any level within these industries.
We do ask that our mentors have at least 2+ years of work experience in their sector, unless they are currently participating in an apprenticeship, graduate scheme or training contract, in which case no minimum work experience applies.
Our volunteer mentors must be able to reliably commit to meeting their student mentee on a regular basis – please see the ‘What commitment is required from me as a mentor?’ FAQ.
Ideally, mentors will be based in the UK to allow students the opportunity to meet their them face-to-face. However, we do also accept registrations from mentors overseas with experience in the UK job market, for online mentoring.
Absolutely. You can apply to Mentoring at ARU as an individual, but we are also very happy to discuss how we can involve your organisation with mentoring on a larger scale. Please contact us using the details at the bottom of this page to discuss this.
Before meeting your student/graduate mentee, you'll need to complete our online orientation activities. These are training resources and a meeting framework guide to help you through the programme.
Additionally, Anglia Ruskin University's Employability Service team will be on hand to support you via phone and email throughout the programme, ensuring everything runs smoothly and addressing any questions.
We will match mentors with student mentees on a 1-2-1 basis. Mentors can volunteer to take on more than one mentee upon discussion with our Career Consultants. This is decided on an individual basis.
Please note that applying to Mentoring at ARU does not guarantee a match with a student mentee. Matches depend on participant numbers and suitability. We won't know the number of students/graduates or their disciplines and interests until they sign up, so not all mentors may be matched.
Both mentors and mentees apply online. Students select a mentor from anonymised profiles based on their needs and interests. The programme runs on a rolling basis for several months between November and July each year. If you're not matched right away, a suitable mentee may join later, and you'll be contacted then.
Unmatched mentor profiles are kept on file for future cycles, as the programme runs annually. To amend or withdraw your profile, please contact us using the details at the bottom of this page.
This sounds great, how can I get involved?
Registration for volunteer mentors is currently open for our 2026/27 cohort. Matching is anticipated to take place between November 2026 and April 2027. If matched, you may be contacted at any time during this period.
Sign up to become a mentorAny questions?
Please get in touch with our project team:
- Viktoriya Vladimirova, Careers Consultant: [email protected]
- Nicola Hitan, Careers Officer: [email protected]