THRIVE Mentoring Wins National Award for Excellence

The THRIVE Career Mentoring Scheme has been recognised as one of the top student mentoring schemes in the country!

For 5 years, the University has been connecting students with experienced professionals, working within various industries, through THRIVE to help propel them along their career path. This year, at the national AGCAS Awards for Excellence they won the award for Research Informed Practice.

AGCAS is the Association for Graduate Careers Advisory Services and is the international professional body for careers practitioners. The award recognises the generation of new knowledge and insight that has been – or could be – used to enhance the employability of individuals within higher education.

Having a mentor has proven highly effective in helping students to think with more confidence and clarity about their future. Along with the knowledge and insights they gain, however, students are also equipped with networking skills, bespoke CV advice and the possibility to gain work experience from their mentors.

The Results

When THRIVE was born in 2014, the Career Mentoring Manager at the University of Reading, Tania Lyden, was determined to discover the formula for a successful mentoring programme to support students. Today, the results are speaking for themselves – 40% of our mentees have raised their personal career aspirations after being mentored.

These aspirations are translating into real opportunities and real success. In a study of our Biological Sciences students who graduated in 2016, those who had been mentored were 15% more likely to be in graduate-level work when compared with their departmental peers.

Food and Nutritional Sciences student, Grace, took part in the THRIVE Mentoring Scheme in 2016/17. She is currently completing her final year of study before taking up her graduate job with Aldi – secured through her mentor:

“THRIVE was a fantastic opportunity. My mentor provided me with so much support when applying for placements. I managed to achieve a year-long placement at Aldi – my mentor helped me prepare for the interview and without that guidance, I don’t think I would have been successful.”

Get Involved

Hurry! If you would like the opportunity to choose a mentor from our network of hundreds of successful professionals, sign up today. The chance to register for the 18/19 academic year is ending soon and participation will only be offered to students while they are in their penultimate year of study.