June to October
- June - Recruitment: Applications open for Mentors and closing date is Friday, October 6th 2023.
The DCU Graduate to Student Mentorship Programme, formerly known as the DCU Structured Mentorship Programme, won the prestigious IITD National Training Award for Excellence in Coaching and Mentoring for 2018 and was shortlisted as a finalist in 2020 and 2021. It is a joint initiative, co-organised by the Alumni Office and the Careers Service. The programme runs for six-months between November and April and pairs second-year students with alumni mentors for the purpose of career and professional development. Alumni and students are matched based on their areas of professional expertise, DCU course and areas of interest. Alumni mentors are asked, if possible, to provide their student mentee with a work-shadowing day as part of the programme. We appreciate that this may not be possible for everyone.
The role of the mentor is to contribute to the transformative student experience at DCU by assisting the development of a second year student. Through the Graduate to Student Mentorship Programme our graduates give back to Dublin City University through time, experience and expertise. In return, the programme provides a range of benefits that can be captured on the Mentor’s CV.
To gain further insight into being a Mentor and to read Frequently Asked Questions, click here
Students and mentors make contact based on their own schedules and timetables. Time commitments for the programme are very flexible. As a general rule, we would ask graduates to make contact with their mentee twice a month for the duration of the programme (November to April).
The programme involves five main events / activities. Mentors are not required to attend all events, but we would ask both mentors and mentees to attend the opening ceremony/training session and the closing ceremony.
We are aware that it is not always possible for alumni to provide a work-shadowing day. In this circumstance, we would ask graduates to organise an extended session with their student mentee to focus on career progression, interview or CV skills, presentation skills or similar.
Interested in mentoring a DCU student as part of the 2023-2024 Mentorship Programme. Submissions for this year's programme closed on Friday 6th October 2023. We will be contacting all applicants on Monday 9th October with programme information and key dates.
If you have any queries please contact DCU Alumni by email alumni@dcu.ie. We look forward to hearing from you.
To receive further mentorship updates from the Alumni Office or to share a query, update your details on the DCU Keep in Touch campaign or email alumni@dcu.ie
Rob Costello, DCU Mentor of the Year 2022, in conversation with Ciara Cronin.