Build confidence, gain industry insight, and shape your future.
Whether you're looking to support the next generation of professionals or you're ready to take the next step in your own career journey, the Arden Careers & Employability (ACE) Mentoring programme creates meaningful connections between Arden University students and experienced professionals.
Running over six months through our online mentoring platform, Mentorloop, the programme provides a flexible opportunity to share knowledge, build confidence and develop valuable professional relationships.
Programme at a glance
| Duration: | Six months (October – April) |
| Time commitment: | Around 1–2 hours per month (minimum of four meetings) |
| Delivery: | Fully online via Mentorloop |
Choose your mentoring journey
Whether you want to share your experience or receive guidance from an experienced professional, ACE Mentoring offers a meaningful way to build confidence, develop skills and create valuable connections.
Become a Mentor
Share your experience and help shape a student's future
Support the next generation of professionals by sharing your knowledge, career experience and industry insight.
Become a Mentee
Build confidence and prepare for your future career
Connect with an experienced mentor who can support your development, help you explore career opportunities and provide guidance as you work towards your goals.
The impact of mentoring
The ACE Mentoring programme helps students and mentors build meaningful professional relationships and achieve their goals. The pilot programme has already delivered encouraging results:
- 79% of participants reported increased career confidence.
- 67% said the programme improved their employability skills.
- 74% felt more motivated to complete their degree.
- 77% of mentees and 88% of mentors said the programme met or exceeded their expectations.
Here is what a previous mentee had to say about their experience on the programme:
"The ACE Mentoring Programme gave me more than guidance—it gave me perspective. One of the biggest lessons I learned is that if you want to become a lion, you have to learn from a lion. Being mentored by someone who has already achieved the level of success you aspire to reach is invaluable. The programme strengthened my confidence, kept me accountable, and helped me develop both personally and professionally. I would highly recommend it to any student looking to accelerate their growth."
Become a Mentor
Help students realise their potential
Mentoring is an opportunity to make a genuine difference while developing your own leadership and coaching skills.
Whether you're an Arden alumnus, member of staff or an experienced professional from industry, your knowledge can help students build confidence, explore career possibilities and prepare for the workplace.
Through mentoring, you can:
- Inspire and support the next generation of professionals.
- Share your career experience and industry insight.
- Strengthen your coaching, communication and leadership skills.
- Join a community committed to student success.
- Mentor flexibly online at times that suit you.
We're looking for professionals from a wide range of industries who:
- Have at least two years' professional experience
- Enjoy supporting others to succeed
- Can offer practical advice and encouragement
- Are committed to helping students achieve their career goals
Complete our short application and we'll be in touch to discuss the next steps.
Applications close on 14th September 2026.
Become a Mentee
Build confidence for your future career
Whether you're exploring career options, preparing for graduate employment or looking to build your professional confidence, ACE Mentoring connects you with an experienced mentor who can support your development every step of the way.
Over six months, you'll receive personalised guidance, practical advice and encouragement from someone who understands the challenges of building a successful career.
Through mentoring, you'll have the opportunity to:
- Explore career options with guidance from an industry professional
- Build confidence in your skills and career decisions
- Improve communication and professional skills
- Receive practical support with CVs, interviews and job applications
- Expand your professional network
- Set meaningful career goals and work towards achieving them
- Fit mentoring around your studies through flexible online meetings
The programme is open to UK-based blended learners studying at Levels 5 and 6.
Priority is given to students who meet one or more of the University's Access and Participation Plan eligibility criteria:
- Global majority students (Black, Asian, Mixed heritage or other non-white backgrounds)
- Students with a disability (including mental health conditions)
- Care experienced students (for more information visit Arden Cares)
The programme is not currently available to Distance Learning students or those studying at Levels 3, 4 or 7 due to funding eligibility.
If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact the team for advice.
Mentee applications are completed through the Mentorloop platform.
After registering, you'll complete a short profile outlining your interests, career aspirations and what you hope to gain from mentoring.
This information in your Mentee profile will be used for application shortlisting and if successful, it will also helps us to identify the most suitable mentor match.
Top tip: The more detail you provide about your goals and motivations, the better we can match you with a mentor.
Places are limited, so strong applications are encouraged.
Applications for the 2026–27 cohort close on 30th September 2026.
Questions?
If you'd like to find out more about the ACE Career Mentoring programme, we'd be happy to help.
Emma Hawkins
Career Mentoring Officer