What is Mentoring?

Mentoring allows teachers to invite business leaders into their schools to support and encourage small groups of students.

Students will meet with a business leader to answer questions, discuss routes to employment and offer guidance.

N.B. We suggest grouping your students according to their attainment levels, so that every student has a meaningful encounter.

What is the impact of Mentoring?

Mentoring is a fantastic way to help students maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they aspire to be. It is a rare opportunity to have an informal yet significant encounter with an inspirational business volunteer.

The Careers and Enterprise Company’s Mentoring Campaign and Fund Report states strong evidence that group mentoring can help to engage young people in their schooling, inspire and motivate them, and provide them with meaningful encounters with the world of work.


This encounter will help and support you to meet the following Gatsby Benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: You will be able to demonstrate a stable careers programme

Our digital platform enables time-poor educators to create a structured careers programme quickly and simply. We provide educators with clear guidance on the types of events they can book and, using smart algorithms, make recommendations on which speakers and volunteers will have the most impact.


Benchmark 3: You will be addressing the needs of each pupil

With our advanced filtering system, we put control of the student-employer encounter firmly in the hands of the educator, ensuring they can select speakers and workplace visits which are best suited to inspire their students. Educators can filter by industry, gender, race, company revenue and growth.


Benchmark 5: You will enable encounters with employers and employees

Our service connects children and young people directly with business leaders from their local communities. Our digital platform recommends a varied programme of careers encounters including career talks, speed mentoring, enterprise activities and workplace visits, all of which can be booked instantly through our platform.


Benchmark 7: You will offer encounters within further and higher education

We enable educators to connect with a wide range of employers and employees who can speak to young people about their career path. By providing a diverse perspective on how they have approached their careers, students will be able to understand the different academic and vocational routes that are available to them.


Benchmark 8: You will be offering personal guidance

Using our clever digital platform, Founders4Schools is able to take into consideration the individual needs of educators and students. This means we can guide them towards encounter types and potential speakers to ensure they have the greatest impact.


Curricular Mapping and useful research

In 2019 we commissioned research to be completed looking at how we can make Careers Education age appropriate.

From our research, pupils aged 14 and over will mostly benefit from participating in individual or group mentoring sessions as it will help them find out about specific areas within careers with the help of the external speakers.

Get Started


We understand that your time as an educator is limited, which is why we have made our service as quick and easy as possible.


We will reach out to Business Leaders on your behalf and update you every step of the way, until the visit is completed.


Simply click the link below to search for Business Leaders in your local area and get started.

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