Become a career mentor for GCU students and make a difference Glasgow Caledonian’s award‑winning MINT (Mentoring, Internships, Networking and Talks) Programme supports final‑year students by helping them enhance their employability and increase their chances of securing work at the earliest opportunity. Launched in 2020, the mentoring arm of MINT has already supported more than 2,000 final‑year students , thanks to the incredible generosity of our alumni community.
As GCU celebrates its 150th anniversary , we continue to be inspired by how many of our graduates choose to give back. Each year, hundreds of alumni volunteer as Career Mentors, offering guidance, encouragement and real‑world insights to help students take those crucial next steps into employment. To everyone who has supported the programme so far - thank you. Your impact has been transformative.
With a new generation of graduates joining our global community during this milestone anniversary year, we warmly encourage you to consider giving back your time by becoming a mentor. Even a small commitment can make a lasting difference to a student preparing for life after university.
The 2026 Career Mentoring Programme will run from March to August. If you’d like to support the next generation of GCU talent, please apply using the button below.
Mentor registration form
What to expect as a GCU Mentor
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This is a six-month programme running from March to August inclusive. You will be hand-matched by our team to mentor a final-year GCU student. All mentors and mentees are asked for information on industry, degree, and other skills and preferences so we will take all criteria into consideration when matching and do so as closely as possible. We suggest one virtual or in-person meeting per month. However, this can be flexible to suit you and your mentee's needs. You and your mentee can set out your objectives, and with our guidance, create a meeting structure and content to suit you both. Our mentees will undertake an induction programme prior to your mentoring relationship commencing. They understand you are there to provide guidance on general workplace skills, and if appropriate, more specific to your industry. However, there is no expectation to provide placements, internships or help with University work.
Mentor resource hub
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Please familiarise yourself with our Mentor Handbook . This handbook is vital to ensuring you make the most out of your mentoring relationship. You can also access our Mentoring Agreement Form , which should be discussed with your mentee at your first meeting.
Hear from some of our former graduate mentors
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Carol Ann Harrower, HR Officer at Sistema Scotland “I didn’t hesitate to get involved, because I myself had a mentor recently and I know first-hand what the benefits are. I wanted to share my experience and knowledge with someone who was just leaving University, and that has never been more important due to the situation we find ourselves in right now with COVID-19.”
David Barrett, Head of Financial Crime and Credit Risk Operations at FIS Global “In my time, I have mentored a mixture of school leavers, graduates, postgraduates, colleagues and peers and this one with Anna is right up there as one of the best. It’s always important that people enter into these things with the right level of commitment and not just make it a tick-box exercise. Even if you’re unsure what you want out of it at the outset, be committed and spend the right level of energy at time at it. Anna did just that and the reward for me was seeing someone smart, ambitious, resilient, open-minded and flexible achieving something that she could not have quite envisaged at the beginning. I’m looking forward to doing it all again.”
Mairi-Claire Cushley, Senior Director at Ralph Lauren “It was wonderful to meet Satwika and very rewarding to hear how new graduates are developing and planning their futures. Satwika’s new role is testament to her skills, talent and positive outlook in these challenging times. It is very rewarding to meet recent graduates and new talent entering the workplace and to reconnect with the University. I have to say the match with particular students had been very carefully considered by the University to facilitate the programme, even in terms of time zones.”
Mark O'Hagan, Director at P3OD “It was a really exciting opportunity. My mentee was travelling across Africa at the time so we had to work through time differences, weather events and internet stability. Even so, we were able to hold purposeful mentoring sessions. This ultimately resulted in my mentee securing a new job – a significant step towards their longer-term career ambitions. It is a privilege to build a meaningful relationship with your mentee, to support them and learn about the amazing progress they have made.”
Hear from some of our former student mentees
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Satwika Sabal, MBA Luxury Brand Management “I would love to specifically emphasize how amazing my mentor has been. Thank you for this opportunity to get in touch with her. The interactions and her suggestions have helped me a lot and provided encouragement. If there is some kind of recognition for an alumnus, I strongly recommend her. Also, congratulations on pulling off this brilliant idea of career mentoring. It was much needed in today's unprecedented times."
Shanine Smith, BSc Food Bioscience "Mentors can help with areas you wouldn't expect, and this is an invaluable opportunity you shouldn't pass up. I learned lots about myself, developed confidence and developed a good rapport with a reliable, experienced professional who understood my fears and concerns. I genuinely looked forward to my monthly meetings, even if it was just for a chat!"
Hazel McHarg, BA (Hons) Business Management "I think this is a great scheme to run and as I have now progressed in my career and made an assistant team leader after four months of employment. I would like to help someone else in the future and take part in the scheme as a mentor."
Contact us
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The GCU mentoring team is always here for you at any time to answer any questions you may have or anything you would like to discuss.
Whether you are a mentor or mentee, or just interested and would like to know more, please contact our team at careermentoring@gcu.ac.uk . We are happy to chat with you by phone or email to suit your needs.
GCU career mentoring programme
