Mentoring program sets engineering students up for success

Designed to allow students to learn from their peers and make a smoother transition to university life, more than one thousand students are assigned to the Faculty of Engineering’s mentoring program each year.

The program engages student mentors, who have completed at least one semester of their degrees, and lead mentors, who are further along in their studies and can commit to more involvement in the program, to guide the program.

Having student input throughout the program’s design ensures that the events and opportunities are in line with student needs, and builds an environment where they are comfortable to share their experiences, concerns and successes.

In groups of 5-15 people, mentees catch up with their mentors on a regular basis and can access a program of events intended to both build friendships and provide professional and personal learning opportunities.

Mentees are generally placed in groups alongside other students from the same stream of engineering, meaning they can lean on each other and ask for advice specific to their own units of study.

The mentors are given specific training to prepare them to address student queries and build skills of their own, including leadership, interpersonal, and organisational skills. The lead mentors, who have had additional training, are on hand to provide guidance to mentors and manage selected events.

We spoke to a mentee, a mentor, and a lead mentor to find out what they’ve learnt from the program.