The Professional Mentoring Programme at Birmingham City University (BCU) offers mentoring for students that breaks down barriers, provides vital insight, and takes mentors and mentees on a fulfilling journey.
Alston Owens, Managing Consultant with gbp consult, joined BCU's 10-week Mentoring Programme earlier this year as a mentor, on a voluntary basis, having wanted to get involved with professional mentoring due to the support and assistance he was given during his formative years.
We spoke to Alston about his experiences as both a mentor and a mentee:
“Mentoring has been an integral part of my career and I have been grateful to have been supported by professional and personal mentors over the years that have guided me through problematic encounters, but also to keep me accountable to my career goals and push the boundaries of the ‘Art of the Possible’. Now as a mentor myself, with a broad experience in my sector, I enjoyed listening to the BCU students and graduates embarking on the careers. Challenging their expectation for what can and cannot be done - but also learning myself from those with a different perspective whether it is education background, ethnicity, or professional qualification. I am a strong believer of the concept ‘Diversity of Thought’ and that a problem shared is a problem halved. Mentoring offers a great opportunity to shape the leaders of tomorrow and creates a feeling of personal fulfilment that encourages continuous learning. If you have an opportunity to seek out a professional mentor, one that can share their experiences, pitfalls and suggest a better path, then that can only be a good thing.”
To find out more about Mentoring with BCU, click here.