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Barclays Mentoring Scheme with LSBU
Alumni and LSBU advocate recalls the reasons he chose to follow in his dad’s footsteps of studying at LSBU, and his LSBU education gave him vital skills for successEconomics and Marketing graduate, Ryan, knew from the start that LSBU could be a great place for his undergraduate degree. This was down to the positive experience his father had studying for a Masters degree here.
“I respect my dad’s opinion and his positive words certainly influenced my first impressions of LSBU as a higher education provider.”
Ryan was keen to study somewhere in London that had a good reputation, but also had good links with the finance industry. London is well known to be a global capital for finance, and LSBU often benefits from its central location for students and graduates to secure future work with the many established finance organisations based in the City and Canary Wharf.
Mentoring as a solid platform for growth and success
Ryan now takes part in a mentoring programme organised with LSBU and Barclays that provides support to female students studying at LSBU, and links them with senior managers in Barclays to provide informal support.
“I believe the mentoring programme is an excellent partnership because it adds value to participants on both sides. Students from LSBU directly gain insight from those in the work place that is specifically tailored to their development preferences.
"On the other side, employees at Barclays gain an immense sense of fulfilment by giving back to a community outside the work environment. I feel an even greater sense of satisfaction, because LSBU was the university I attended when studying for my degree.
"Speaking with my mentee, I can very much relate to a lot of the questions and development preferences that have come my way. I really enjoy meeting with my mentee and try to make the meetings as interactive as possible, and in different locations around the Barclays office. Although I have a high level agenda that I believe will be beneficial, I very much encourage my mentee to drive the choice of topics so that they are relevant and useful.
"I feel honoured to support students from LSBU in any way I can and I am thoroughly impressed with the potential of the talented students that have participated in this initiative.“
What mentoring means to LSBU
Susie Wolstenhome, who leads on the mentoring programme, comments more generally on the programme and benefits that it creates for our students:
"Alongside the mentoring Barclays have hosted a number of workshops at their offices in Canary Wharf. The most recent being their Work Experience Day in February 2018, attended by 30 UG and PG students. This was a very informative session and I am extremely grateful for Barclays for hosting us and delivering this session and other workshops as part of the ongoing programme".
"It gives our students an insight into life in a large organisation like Barclays, and helps inspire them as they see successful employees from Barclays confidently delivering sessions on employability. The one-to-one mentoring aspect provides students with an informal setting to talk about their aspirations, any concerns they might have, and for the mentor to give career guidance and support".