Mentoring and Leadership
Our Student Inclusion and Engagement team provides opportunities for you to enhance your personal and professional development through a number of mentoring and leadership programmes.
The team deliver professional development programmes throughout the year, including the Industry Advice Scheme and Common Purpose's Future Leader Experience. Find out more about the opportunities available below or contact the team if you have any questions by emailing askUSMentoring@salford.ac.uk.
Industry Advice Scheme
The Industry Advice Scheme gives you the chance to be mentored by an industry professional. The mentor will be in your dream industry or have the transferable skills you are looking to develop.
Over three months they will help you work towards a self-directed goal, which could relate to one of the following:
- Exploring your options for your career or further study after university
- Identifying your priorities and deciding on your next steps
- Setting a goal and helping you work towards it
- Recognising your strengths and developing your confidence
- Developing practical skills for job-hunting, for example, completing CVs and applications, and preparing for interviews
Applications for the next cohort are now open and you can sign up by completing our form. Applications close at 23:45 on Sunday 8 October, please see the eligibility criteria below. If you have any questions, you can contact the Student Experience and Engagement team at askUSmentoring@salford.ac.uk.
Watch our video below for more information
The Industry Advice Scheme has helped students to achieve their goals and develop key employability skills. Hear what some of them had to say about their experience:
Abdul, BSc Aeronautical Engineering
"My mentor, Peter, was awesome and he really supported me in a lot of things. Some of the things I learnt from him were how to find jobs and what attracts employers in my field of specialty the most [and] how to become a principal engineer in one of the world’s leading companies."
Micah, MSc BIM and Digital Environment
"The scheme provided me with the perfect industry mentor...who helped me complete my goal of returning to the construction industry.
"I would encourage others to apply because the university finds the mentor for you. Finding a mentor or career development opportunity alone can be the first obstacle for so many of us."
Eligibility criteria
As a mentee, you will need to:
- Be in your second or final year of study, or be studying a postgraduate level course
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Have a personal interest in enhancing your professional development
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Complete a 20-minute online training module before being matched with a mentor
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Commit to a minimum of three-months of mentoring, beginning in October 2023, and making contact with your mentor once a month, either in person or online
All second, final year and postgraduate students are eligible to apply to take part in this mentoring scheme, however our ability to match applicants with a mentor depends on the number and suitability of mentos who apply to be part of the scheme.
As part of our commitment to our Access and Participation Plan, which outlines areas where there are known disadvantages and how we plan to close these gaps, we encourage applications from students with disabilities, students from minoritised ethnic groups, and students who are care experienced. In the event that the scheme is oversubscribed, we will prioritise applications from these students to enable them to take part.
Common Purpose's Future Leader Experience
Future Leader Experience is a free three-day programme designed to develop your cultural intelligence, confidence and leadership skills by interacting with senior leaders from organisations across Salford and Manchester. The programme is run by Common Purpose, a global not-for-profit who are on a mission to develop people to cross cultural, institutional and social boundaries.
On the programme, you will take part in challenging discussions and go behind the scenes of local organisations to gain hands-on experience. This is the perfect opportunity to expand your professional networks and develop deep, lasting relationships with your peers and senior leaders. Some of the organisations taking part include The Lowry Hotel, KPMG, HSBC, Inspiring Communities Together and many more.
Following on from the Future Leader Experience, you will join over 100,000 alumni of a Common Purpose programme and will be invited to join the Common Purpose alumni group, giving access to leadership development opportunities and exclusive alumni events.
Register your expression of interest to apply for future cohorts of the scheme and the team will email you when applications open or email askUSmentoring@salford.ac.uk with any questions.