摘要：The SEEM mentoring scheme has been established to provide undergraduate students in GEES disciplines with a source of support to help their career planning and ultimately improve their transition into employment. Alumni graduates working in GEES- relevant employment sectors are recruited as mentors. The scheme is based in an academic department and builds on existing links between staff, graduates and students, to provide a strong discipline-specific context and to tie in with careers activities embedded in the curriculum. Central to the promotion and management of SEEM is its web site with application forms, confidentiality agreements and guidelines for mentees and mentors in electronic format. Email is the main form of communication. Career profiles of all mentors are available on the web site in a database designed to help students select a suitable mentor. The first phase of the voluntary scheme was open to all students in their 3rd year. Participation was high amongst Honours students (34%). However, there was no participation from non-Honours students. The failure rate of mentee-mentor relationships was low (1 in 10). The brief given to mentees and mentors was kept deliberately flexible. Topics to be included were: career choices and paths, the functioning of organisations and businesses, a typical working day, applying for jobs, employer expectations, application of graduate skills in the work place and enhancing employability. At the end of the 3-month mentoring period, feedback received from mentees and mentors was overall very positive and constructive and resulted in a number of suggestions for future improvement to the scheme. The long-term viability of employability mentoring schemes is discussed in the context of longer established UK schemes.
