Overview

Working with a mentor can help you prepare for life after university studies by improving your job searching skills, building your knowledge of career options and how they align with your career goals, and helping you understand how your experiences relate to skills that employers look for. Through your mentoring partnership and the programme, you can also expand your professional network and build valuable networking skills.        
  

ELIGIBILITY

This free programme is open to all final-year students enrolled in a degree or postgraduate qualification at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington who want to take a proactive approach to their career development and transition from university into employment.        
       
 Students must:        
  • be in their final year of undergraduate or post-graduate studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
  • not have previously participated in Alumni as Mentors
  • complete the short mentee training course on Nuku before being accepted onto the programme

Application Dates and Connection process

Apply and complete training      
Applications open: 23 February - 13 March 
Training on Nuku: 23 February - 13 March 
      
Connect with a mentor      
  • Request a mentor yourself (23 Feb - 15 March), or 
  • Get help from the programme team to identify a match (23 Feb - 19 March).
Mentor profiles will only be visible to students during the period 23 February - 15 March.  
 
The programme team will assist students who haven’t successfully connected with a mentor themselves by 15 March. While we cannot guarantee a mentoring match for everyone who applies to join the programme, we do our best to set up as many quality mentoring partnerships as we can. The team will connect pairs based on the overlap in academic background, career aspirations, mentoring preferences, and other information provided in the applications.     
      
If you have a confirmed mentor, attend the launch event (26 March, 6pm, location confirmed after the partnership has been accepted).   
       

The mentors

Mentors are alumni of the university and range from recent graduates who can share their experiences of the graduate job market to more experience alumni who can share a wealth of information from years in the workplace. Mentors work and live across New Zealand and internationally and represent a wide range of industries.     


For more information on what to expect as a mentee, see the Mentee Guide. 

 
 

Student applications are now open!              

Student applications are open until 13 March.

Apply now

              

"It is so helpful to have a supportive mentor that guides you and is available for a chat when you need to talk things through. As a busy student, I appreciated the reassurance that I received from my mentor." - previous AAM mentee

Mentee training

Students are required to complete a short mentee training course on Nuku before their application will be accepted. 

For additional support or questions, students can also attend the online office hours scheduled regularly during the application period. 

The mentee training is designed to help mentees succeed in the mentoring partnerships and how to get the best out of programme. We will cover how to be an effective mentee, share tips on how to build a strong relationship with your mentor, and how to find the right mentor within the programme. We also cover setting clear goals, prioritising what's important to you, to ensure your partnership remains mentee-led. 
Students must complete the training on Nuku before their application is accepted. 
 

Careers and Employment support

The Wellington Careers and Employment team are here to support you and the mentors to make the most of the partnerships. In addition to specific support for your mentoring partnership, you are encouraged to participate in workshops, employer presentations, expos, and leadership programmes organised by our team, to complement the topics discussed in your partnership.  
  
  

Your profile information

Each application is checked against our student and alumni records, to ensure the platform provides a dedicated space for our student and alumni community.       
Parts of your mentee profile will be shared with the mentors you request to connect with, as this information helps them determine whether they are the right mentor for your needs. Some of the profile information you provide (e.g. your date of birth) will only be visible to administrators.

further information

If you meet the criteria to participate in the programme you can contact alumniasmentors@vuw.ac.nz for more information.