Delivery model
How the programme is actually run
Everything runs online. Six repeatable virtual session formats, each with an owner, a standard duration and prepared material, so quality does not depend on who is on the call.
Every format is delivered online and free of cost, to any young person, anywhere — regardless of country, religion or belief. All you need is a phone or laptop and an internet connection.
Awareness sessions
Live online talk plus open Q&A, joined by schools and colleges from their own classrooms, built around one theme per session.
60–90 min · per term
CV & profile clinics
One-to-one video review and rewrite of a CV and online profile, with a checklist the candidate keeps.
30 min per person · monthly
Mock interview panels
Technical and behavioural rounds run by practitioners over video call, followed by structured written feedback.
45 min per candidate · monthly
Virtual industry exposure
Live streamed walkthroughs of real working environments, hosted online by partner organisations with Q&A.
90 min · quarterly
One-to-one mentoring
A matched mentor over a six-session online cycle, with goals agreed at session one and reviewed at six.
6 sessions · ongoing
Parent & youth forums
Joint online sessions that put expectations, options and realistic timelines on the table together.
90 min · quarterly
People
Who mentors
Working practitioners with substantial experience across engineering, ICT and infrastructure, operations, healthcare, finance, business and skilled trades. Every mentor is volunteering. Nobody is paid, and no mentor represents their employer when they speak.
What we ask
- 4–6 hours per quarter
- Honesty about the real job
- No recruiting or selling
- Prepared, on time, follows up
What mentors gain
- A structured way to give back
- Coaching and teaching practice
- Early sight of emerging talent
- A cross-industry peer network
Safeguarding is non-negotiable
Working with minors carries obligations. These rules apply to every mentor, every session, without exception.
- Two-adult rule — No mentor is ever alone with a minor on a call; a teacher, parent or coordinator is always present.
- Monitored virtual rooms — Sessions run on official programme meeting links with waiting rooms enabled — never on personal accounts or private calls.
- Consent for under-18s — Written school and parental consent before any student participates.
- Programme channels only — All contact through official channels; no personal numbers or private messaging.
- Vetting and briefing — Every mentor is identity-checked, briefed on conduct, and can be stood down at any time.
Roadmap
A twelve-month path from charter to impact report
Proposed phasing. Dates are set once the founding mentor group and the first partner institutions are confirmed.
- 1
Foundation
Months 1–3
- Agree charter, scope and code of conduct
- Recruit and brief the first 10 mentors
- Build session material and templates
- Issue the safeguarding policy
- 2
Pilot
Months 4–6
- Sign three partner institutions
- Run two CV clinics and one interview panel
- Deliver the first virtual exposure session
- Collect structured feedback
- 3
Scale
Months 7–9
- Extend to eight institutions
- Launch the one-to-one mentoring cycle
- Add parent and youth forums
- Appoint mentor leads per stream
- 4
Sustain
Months 10–12
- Publish the first impact report
- Formalise partnership agreements
- Train the next mentor intake
- Set year-two targets from real data
Phase gates: each phase closes with a short review, and the next one starts only once the previous phase has actually delivered what it promised.
Accountability
How we will measure whether this works
Reach
Are we in front of enough young people?
- Institutions engaged
- Sessions delivered
- Young people attending
- Active mentors
Engagement
Is the programme worth their time?
- Attendance vs registration
- Session rating (1–5)
- Mentoring cycles completed
- Repeat participation
Outcome
Did anything change for them?
- CVs completed and reviewed
- Mock interviews passed
- Internships or placements at 90 days
- Participants with a written next step
No targets before data. Baselines are set during the pilot and published in the first impact report — we would rather report a small real number than a large claimed one.
Next steps
Four ways to be part of this
Students & graduates
Register for a session, bring a CV draft and one honest question about your future.
Attend · free
Schools & colleges
Host a session, nominate a coordinator and give us one hour with your students.
Host · per term
Professionals
Join the mentor network. Four to six hours a quarter, in your own field.
Volunteer · quarterly
Employers & partners
Host a virtual walkthrough of your workplace, sit on an online interview panel, or sponsor materials.
Partner · by agreement