Objective:
- To support students’ personal development
- To support the development of students intra and extra-curricular projects and enterprises.
- To provide students with opportunities to develop ideas, take actions and reflect on progress.
- To assist students in identifying and exploiting networks and support available to them.
Introduction:
At Glyndwr University, every student and graduate is offered the support of a dedicated mentor to support them in their enterprising endeavours, facilitated through the University’s ZONE Enterprise Hub (this mentoring has been both core funded by the institution, and supported through the pan-Wales HEFCW funded Enterprise Support Programme).
Figure 1: ZONE Enterprise Hub at Glyndwr University
In the period July 2014 – July 2015, 158 such mentoring appointments were conducted, supporting the creation and development of 40 new businesses.
This mentoring takes many forms, and plays a vital role in students’ development in a number of ways. This can range from supporting the development of clear and original ideas, to facilitating effective reflection and evaluation on progress, to providing specific contacts and information to address a problem, or exploit an opportunity.
This mentoring has been delivered one-to-one, and one-to-many, sometimes as a standalone occurrence, and sometimes developing into relationships that persist for a considerable length of time.
Beneficiaries of this mentoring service have come from all programmes and levels of study, with enquiries ranging from looking to launch businesses, to requiring support with enterprising projects related to their academic study, to those looking for broader personal development.
The following is an indicative example of how the mentoring service has been utilised by one such student.
Activity:
Mentee – BSc (Hons) Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies Student
A mature student and fresher of the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies Undergraduate Programme at Glyndwr University utilised the mentoring service available through ZONE Enterprise Hub, looking for support for an enterprising extra-curricular project.
The student desired to sell free-range eggs and organic vegetables to students at the University. The student had good contacts with the local community of growers and suppliers, had a small holding of his own, and a vast amount of experience in growing and supplying organic produce.
However, as a fresher, the student had no links or contacts with staff or students at the institution, and no experience of marketing to a student audience.
The mentor, in virtue to ZONE Enterprise Hub’s relationship with staff and students at the University, was able to support the students in addressing these issues. This was inclusive of providing contact information and introductions to key internal stakeholders at the University (for example, the manager required to grant permission to sell produce on campus, the manager responsible for the University’s green policies, the marketing department, the President of the Students Guild etc.), and brainstorming ideas for promoting the sale of produce to the University community (via social media, student / staff newsletters, poster campaigns etc.).
The mentor and student met periodically over a period of several months, to discuss progress, and solutions to specific problems as they arose. The mentor was able to draw on their personal experience of similar project which had run at the University in the past, to advise the student as to the courses of action they may consider taking.
Impact:
The student is now selling free-range eggs and organic vegetables on a weekly basis from the main University campus. Regular news bulletins regarding the sales are posted to staff and students, and changes to the promotional strategy are made on a trial and error basis to ensure continuous improvement in awareness and sales.
Through the connections established by the mentor, the student was able to engage with a number of students with similar interests, able to offer support not only in the promotion and selling of produce, but also in the growing of vegetables for sale.
Resources:
For more examples of mentoring, see case examples in Education Studies and Veterinary Nursing.
References:
- Zone Enterprise Hub. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: https://moodle.glyndwr.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=37%2522%2520target%253D%2522_blank%2522. [Accessed 24 August 2015].