Partners in Business are employee volunteers who provide Career Academy students with one-to-one support with coursework and life skills. They act as a role model, critical friend and advisor.
Partners in Business meet their student about ten times over 18 months. Each meeting lasts approximately an hour and a half and is an opportunity to help the student:
- reflect on recent coursework; reinforcing classroom learning with real life examples
- expand their understanding of business culture and workplace etiquette
- practise employability skills such as time management, problem solving, CV writing or interview techniques
- widen their network of business contacts for the future.
Partners in Business play an important role in the Career Academy experience. But this mentoring element of the Career Academy programme is voluntary for the young people. Career Academy students must really want a Partner in Business and commit to an 18-month relationship. Currently, eight out of ten students take advantage of this excellent opportunity.
Partners in Business range from recent graduates to managing directors, in both the private and public sectors. Each relationship is as individual as the people involved, and all will have different - but equally valid - experiences of the world of work to share. We don’t ‘train’ volunteers to be Partners in Business. But we do provide a proper framework and guidance materials, so no prior mentoring experience is required.
Key dates
- September - November
- Briefing sessions for new Partners in Business
- October
- Submit disclosure forms to the Criminal Records Bureau, to authorise new Partners in Business (a legal requirement for working with young people)
- December
- Partners in Business matched with students
- January / February
- First ‘ice-breaker’ meeting for Partners in Business and students
“My mentees have definitely rewarded me. In seeing and helping them grow, I have also matured and grown as a human being and have developed into being a better person to work with and for.” [Deepa Govindarajan, The Financial Services Authority]
To hear more first hand experiences - from students, employers and teachers - play our film clip about Partners in Business.
Interested in volunteering as a Partner in Business for a young person? Please contact us.