Group mentoring for engineering students
In group mentoring, the mentor helps students think about their future paths and identify their strengths.
In group mentoring, students receive valuable insight from the mentors on issues related to working life and peer support from other students. Mentors can develop their own mentoring skills and gain new perspectives and insights into their working life path.
Group mentoring guides you to worklife
Group mentoring will be organized for the first time, and it takes place from January to April 2025. Mentors will help soon-to-be-graduating students clarify their future paths and identify their strengths.
In group mentoring, Jamk’s alumni act as mentors for actor groups of 3-5 people. The actors of the small groups (i.e. those being mentored) are students completing engineering bachelor’s degrees.
What happens in group mentoring?
Group mentoring allows the students to think about issues related to working life from the perspective of a theme that interests them. Group mentoring brings together students from different programmes, who has with similar interests and questions related to working life. Each group of actors is guided by a mentor who has experience and insight on the theme being discussed.
When applying for group mentoring, students and mentors can choose which work-related theme interests them most. Mentoring groups are organized in both Finnish and English, depending on demand.
Themes of the group mentoring are:
- Internationality
- Leadership and Management
- Future working life
- Developing as an expert
Each group independently agrees on the specific contents and goals for mentoring. In the meetings, the groups can also discuss other topics, such as:
- Identifying and articulating one's own skills and strengths
- Job search and marketing of own skills
- Networks of working life
- Continuous learning
- Career planning
The groups plan times and contents for the meetings, and the ways in which the topics are discussed. Meetings can be relaxed and groups can use creativity in the implementation methods!
Who can participate in group mentoring?
Student: apply to be an actor!
Group mentoring is designed to support the transition to working life, and therefore group mentoring is especially intended for students in the final stages of their studies. Other students, for whom topics related to working life are current, can also apply.
A student applying for group mentoring is required to be motivated and committed to mentoring.
Students of the Institute of New Industry from the following bachelor's degree programs can apply for group mentoring as an actor:
- Konetekniikka
- Logistiikka
- Rakennus- ja yhdyskuntatekniikka
- Rakennusmestari
- Purchasing and Logistics Engineering
As an actor, you will get
- Valuable information and insight from the mentor about the themes of working life interesting for you.
- New perspectives about topics related to working life.
- Peer support from other students.
- Help to clarify your career dreams and identify your skills.
Are you interested? See application instructions and schedules at the end of this page.
Alumni: become a mentor!
You can apply for group mentoring as a mentor if you have graduated from Jamk and you already have experience in working life. You don't need to have previous experience in mentoring - you will get help in the beginning and support throughout the mentoring process! Please note, that mentoring is volunteer work, and no salary is paid for mentoring.
As a mentor, you will get
- An opportunity to develop your mentoring skills. You will get support for mentoring from us.
- New perspectives on working life.
- To know the engineering students who will soon graduate.
- A chance to network and get to know other alumni.
Are you interested? See application instructions and schedules at the end of this page.
Schedule and application
Application times
Mentors: Alumni can apply as mentors during 9 September – 6 October 2024.
Actors: Students can apply as actors during 1 – 31 October 2024
Schedules
Selections:
We try to find the most suitable groups for as many actors and mentors as possible. If there are a lot of applicants, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee everyone’s place for group mentoring. Students in the final stages of their studies have priority in actor selections.
We will notify all actors and mentors who applied for group mentoring about the selections by the end of November 2024.
Meetings:
- Kick-off meeting for mentors: 22 January 2025 at 4–6 p.m. (Jyväskylä)
- Mentoring kick-off meeting for all participants: 29 January 2025 at 16–18 (Jyväskylä)
- Mentoring period: 1 February – 18 April 2025, including 3-4 meetings
- Closing session: 23 April 2025 at 4-5.15 p.m. (also remotely if necessary)
More information
Sanna Nieminen
