• Mentoring programme wins globally recognised accreditation
  • School has 150 fully-trained mentors to give career advice and guidance
  • Students and alumni can sign up for their own mentor for two years
  • Since 2010 more than 500 people have benefited from a mentor

Warwick Business School’s Mentoring Programme for students and alumni has been awarded Investors in People accreditation.

The programme, which has seen more than 500 people mentored since it opened in 2010, gives students - primarily postgraduate and MBAs - and alumni the chance for one-to-one advice from one of the 150 mentors on the school’s books.

The fully-trained mentors from the WBS alumni community give confidential professional and personal development support and career advice for two years.

Sanjiv Patel, Co-Chair of the WBS Mentoring Steering Committee, said: “Having been involved since its humble beginnings as a pilot project in 2009, I am thrilled to hear that we have been successful in attaining this internationally recognised Investors in People award.

Related article: WBS Mentoring Programme wins national training award

“We are custodians of the values and principles that make the scheme so unique, at the same time, we are evolving and looking at ways to enhance the experience for both our mentors and mentees.

“Having witnessed the evolution of the mentoring programme, I believe this award is also a tribute to the cumulative support of so many inspiring people, past and present, to build a truly world-class mentoring programme. We have something special and unique here and I am thrilled that it has been rewarded with the Investors in People accreditation.”

Investors in People Warwick Business School mentor programme
The standard: (l-r) Sanjiv Patel, WBS Dean Professor Mark Taylor, and Mike Goodwin

Investors in People is a global accreditation displayed by more than 14,000 organisations in 75 countries. Based on 25 years of leading practice, the Investors in People standard defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people well for sustainable results and builds on the school’s bronze award for Best Mentoring Programme at the National Training Awards in 2013.

Mike Goodwin, Co-Chair of the WBS Mentoring Steering Committee, said: “I was really delighted to hear that we had been successful in our application for this prestigious and internationally recognised Investors in People award.

“I'd like to thank our Programme Manager Donna Curtis and my fellow steering committee colleague, Beverley Bourne, who led so ably on this work as well as paying a special and heartfelt tribute to our really great alumni mentors who each give so selflessly their time in volunteering to support fellow WBS students and alumni in their career choices. Without their support the programme would not be the great success it is.”

The Investors in People assessors praised the school for:

  • A fully engaged and committed cohort of mentors, who are proud to be part of the programme.
  • The provision of high quality learning and development as part of continuing professional development.
  • Comprehensive and effective inductions for new mentors.
  • Clear and contractual understanding of the programme by mentees.
  • A shared vision and strategy for the programme, aligned to the wider WBS vision.
  • Positive communications covering strategy, programme, operations and continual professional development.
  • Sense of involvement and empowerment by mentors.
  • Strong sense of value and recognition of the mentors.
  • Consensual and collaborative leadership by the steering committee.
  • Commitment to evaluation to measure improvement and identify opportunities to improve.
Valuable learning curve

Beverley Bourne, of the WBS Mentoring Steering Committee, added: “We are immensely proud of the WBS Mentoring Programme and all that it has achieved and delighted that this unseen, and often unsung, work has now been formally and independently accredited by the Investors in People.

“The accreditation process has been a valuable learning curve for the programme and has provided a structure for us to build upon and go forward. A special thanks to Sue Thorn and the WBS CareersPlus team who have supported us financially throughout."

For more information on the WBS Mentoring Programme see here or email donna.curtis@wbs.ac.uk