Reverse Mentoring – UCB Guild of Students

This year, University College Birmingham Guild of Students is piloting a reverse mentoring scheme in collaboration with UCB Guild of Students. Through this programme, local employers will receive mentoring from students. The aim of this project is for students to provide feedback, support, and advice on the mentees’ or local employees’ organisational practices and how they can support students or maximise accessibility from the students’ context.

If you’re a student and would like to take part in the reverse mentoring scheme, please fill in the form below:
https://forms.office.com/e/6nwzv7v2rr

Outline

As part of the University College Birmingham’s Access and Participation Plan, this project is formed to boost the employability of local UK students, particularly those who come from backgrounds less likely to engage with university studies (including those who are eligible for free school meals). The project is aimed for these groups, as well as students from BME backgrounds.

The project seeks to support student employability and contribute to the workplace community across Birmingham by:

Working with students who are highlighted as at risk of unemployment with a progression coach to offer personalised support. This will help influence the work of wider careers support for these students.
Working with employers by building a new diverse talent pipeline through the reverse mentoring scheme. This would involve collaborating with local employers to foster a robust ecosystem and provide support.

How it works

Following an expression of interest from a local employer, the Guild assigns them a mentor paired with the employer’s needs in mind.

Mentors will be offering their time voluntarily and part-time over the period of October- March/April 2026. Each local employer/organisation can request up to three mentors.

Meeting timing will be decided through liaison between the employer and student mentor. We expect these to last around 1-2 hours, and for around 6 meetings to take place in each cycle, spanning October 2025 and March/April 2026. This could include a 1-2 hour virtual meeting every month as well as non-contact time, such as emails or phone call. We would encourage mentees to arrange travel for our mentors if the meeting requires a site visit.

To help mentors gain confidence, learn about mentoring, and develop skills in having influential conversations and building strong relationships, a launch and training session will take place on (DATE TBC)

Mentors are expected to write a short written reflection record as part of their skills development.

For local employers

This is an exciting opportunity for local employers to gain direct access to University of Birmingham students. Below are some of the key things employers can expects.

Local employers will get direct access to University College Birmingham students who have an array of different experiences.
UCB students have a diverse and unique skillset and life experiences, giving local employers direct access to ambassadors of today’s student community.
Employers will work directly with the Guild of Students, the recognised Students’ Union for students at UCB, who can also support wider collaborations, such as student societies/clubs and student leaders.
Employers will learn about the kinds of barriers experienced by students from a widening participation background when accessing a career.
Finding out how students/graduates perceive the application and recruitment process, undertaking comparative work.
How, where and when to market programmes to impact attraction and what assistance students require with the recruitment process.
Analysing brand perception. Improving website content and increasing outreach activities,
Gaining student insight into best workplace practices, giving you a leading insight into what students need.

If you’re an employer and would like to participate, please fill in this form . If you would like to find out more about the scheme please contact hamza@ucbguild.co.uk