A short-term peer mentor/mentee activity develops Bachelor of Science students' career management skills

The recent focus on graduate employability has exposed the inadequacies of work preparation for science students, who need an employability toolkit to navigate the complex modern work landscape. We implemented a novel peer mentoring activity that focused on work-capability development for Bachelor o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mentoring & tutoring 2019-10, Vol.27 (5), p.509-530
Main Authors: Bonner, Hailey J., Wong, Kai Sheng, Pedwell, Rhianna K., Rowland, Susan L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement Gains
Barriers
Career Development
career management skills
Careers
Education Work Relationship
Employability
Employment Potential
Foreign Countries
Job Training
Managerial skills
Mentoring programs
Mentors
Metacognition
peer mentoring
Peer Teaching
Peer tutoring
professional skills
Science Education
Self Evaluation (Individuals)
Student Attitudes
Students
Undergraduate Students
Work Experience
Worksheets
Workshops
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Summary:The recent focus on graduate employability has exposed the inadequacies of work preparation for science students, who need an employability toolkit to navigate the complex modern work landscape. We implemented a novel peer mentoring activity that focused on work-capability development for Bachelor of Science undergraduate students. The student experience was evaluated using structured written reflections, student self-assessment, and interviews. Students were most likely to be challenged by the processes of articulating strengths and weaknesses and mentoring another student. Students' self-reported learning gains were coded against a framework for career management skills - several were strongly evidenced. We found that the short-term mentor/mentee experience described here can pose students with a level of challenge, and that participation in this activity leads to changes in their self-awareness and development of their career management skills.
ISSN:1361-1267
1469-9745
DOI:10.1080/13611267.2019.1675849