Mentoring
Aurora
Nominations have now closed for the 2023-2024 round of the Women's Leadership programme Aurora.
The deadline for expressions of interest was on Wednesday 9th August 2023.
About Aurora
Aurora is a development programme run by AdvanceHE for individuals who identify as a woman and are in the early stages of their careers-normally up to senior lecturer level or an equivalent grade in professional services-who would like to develop and explore issues relating to leadership roles and responsibilities.
Aurora is an opportunity for women to build strong peer networks with women from across the higher education sector, giving them the support and encouragement they need throughout all stages of their career. The programme consists of ongoing mentoring and development days, held online and spread over four months, plus 1 in person event. The scheme focuses on the following:
- Identity, Impact and Voice
- Power and Politics
- Core Leadership Skills
- Adaptive Leadership Skills
- Action Learning Sets
- a face-to-face day - 'Your Future in HE'
- Optional networking sessions
You can find our more about the scheme on the Advance HE Aurora website here.
How does the scheme work
-
The scheme is split into cohorts each covering a different geographic area.
-
You can apply to any geographic cohort, but please note that you will be committing to attend the relevant in person event for that cohort. Expenses incurred will need to be signed off by covered by your department/faculty/directorate, so please take this into consideration when choosing a cohort.
- You will attend 7 online sessions, and 1 in person session (location dependent on cohort).
- King’s would expect those taking part in the scheme to share what they learnt on the scheme with their colleagues upon completion and play a proactive role in supporting the development of peers (for example supporting the King’s More than Mentoring programme).
- Find out more on the Aurora FAQs page here.
How places are allocated
- Applicants can apply to any one of the 'Aurora cohorts' for 2023-24, each covers a different geographic area. Please note dates vary between each cohort.
- The cost for each place on the scheme will be £1025.
- In the first instance we ask King's applicants to obtain funding for their place from their department, faculty or directorate.
- If you are unable to obtain funding locally please contact the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Team at the earliest opportunity. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to offer partial or full support. This will be dependent on the number of requests received and the merits of each application.
How to apply for a place
- Please check that you are available for the relevant cohort dates, a full list can be found here.
- The deadline for expressions of interest is 12:00BST on Wednesday 9th August 2023.
- Complete the King’s expression of interest form here before the deadline.
- If you have any questions about the scheme, please complete our EDI enquiry form here.
We would like to see diverse cohorts of women participating in Aurora, and we especially welcome applications from underrepresented communities such as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people.
B-MEntor Scheme
Recruitment for the 2023/24 cohort has now closed and the scheme is underway.
B-MEntor is a cross-institutional London-wide mentoring scheme for academic, professional service and research staff from Black, Asian, Mixed and minority ethnic backgrounds. It is run by University College London in partnership with King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, St George’s University of London, University of the Arts London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
The programme supports King’s Race Equality Action Plan, specifically our commitment to attract, appoint and invest in talent.
The mentoring period is approximately one year, and a training and support package is offered for all participants. The deadline to register has been extended to the new deadline of 17:00 on the 12th January 2024. There are two schemes-one for academic and research staff, and one for professional services staff. Please see below for information about each scheme.
Please contact the B-MEntor team if you have any queries about this scheme. A complete list of FAQs can be found on the B-MEntor webpage.
Academic and research staff
The requirements for participation in the programme are as follows:
- Mentors: must be at Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor/Reader or Professorial level. Mentors can be from any ethnic background.
- Mentees: should be at Post-Doctoral to Lecturer level and self-identify as being from a Black, Asian, Mixed or minority ethnic background, i.e. not white European.
Mentees and Mentors must be available for the mandatory online training on one of the following dates:
- Mentee Training: Wednesday 6th December at 14:00-15:30 or Wednesday 10th January at 14:00-15:30
- Mentor Training: Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 14:00-15:30 or Wednesday 17th January at 14:00-15:30
Academic Registration:
Professional services staff
The requirements for participation in the programme are as follows:
- Mentors must be professional services staff from any ethnic background, from first-line managers (managing one person) to senior management – this is normally grades 6-8
- Mentees should be professional services staff up to the level of first-line managers (managing one person) – this is normally grades 1-6, and self-identify as being from a Black, Asian, Mixed or minority ethnic background, i.e., not white European.
Mentees and Mentors must be available for the mandatory online training on one of the following dates:
- Mentee Training: Thursday 7th December at 10:00-11:30 or Thursday 11th January at 10:00-11:30
- Mentor Training: Thursday 14th December at 10:00-11:30 or Thursday 18th January at 10:00-11:30
Professional Services Registration:
Into Academia Ethnic Minority Mentoring Scheme
Recruitment for the 2023/24 cohort has now closed and the scheme is underway.
Into Academia is a mentoring scheme for undergraduate (UG) students from Black and minoritised ethnic groups who are considering a career in academia. The scheme offers the opportunity to forge a one-to-one connection with an academic or researcher at King’s- to gain support and experience and benefit from their expertise.
What is the purpose of the scheme?
The racial diversity of academics at King’s decreases with seniority, so much so that less than 1% of Professors are Black. Into Academia is a mentoring scheme aimed at the beginning of the academic journey, however we acknowledge that action is needed at all stages. The purpose of this scheme is to:
- Instill confidence in students from minoritised ethnic groups that academia is a place for them
- Help mitigate against the disadvantage that those without sector connections can face
- Serve as positive action at the beginning of the pipeline to, ultimately, increase the number of academics from minoritised ethnic backgrounds
This scheme focuses on the development of ‘soft’ skills – leadership, communication, time/self-management, teamwork, resilience, independence, self-awareness with the overall aim of building mentees’ confidence and helping them feel empowered to achieve their career aspirations
What are the benefits of this scheme
Mentors can:
- Gain fulfilment from facilitating personal development and encouraging others
- Network with like-minded colleagues
- Assist others along a path on which you have already been successful
- Advance equality and diversity in higher education
- Enhance skills such as coaching and constructive criticism.
Mentees can:
- Obtain career advice and direction
- Receive help with identifying and clarifying issues, problems and obstacles
- Source new ideas and practices
- Gain the opportunity for networking across a broader spectrum than provided by the day-to-day environment.
When it will take place and commitment required
The mentorship journey will start in January 2024 and will require a minimum of 1 hour commitment per month and the attendance of the training sessions over 6 months.
How do I become a mentee?
The scheme is open to any UG student who is Black or from a minoritsed ethnic group. If the scheme is oversubscribed, then we will prioritise students in their second or third year of studies.
How do I become a mentor?
Mentors must be an academic or researcher at King’s. They can be from any ethnic group
How to apply
- To apply to be a mentee, please complete the mentee form
- To apply to be a mentor, please complete the mentor form
What happens next
The deadline to apply for the scheme is the 31st October. Eligible mentors and mentees will then be matched by the EDI team according to the following criteria:
- Subject discipline: Whilst we can’t match people based on a specific area of interest, we will do our best to ensure there is an element of crossover
- Mentee requirements: Mentees will be asked in their application what they most want from a mentor so that we can pair them with someone who is able to deliver this
Matches will be communicated in December and the scheme will be launched in January. The scheme will last for six months however mentors and mentees may choose to stay in touch beyond this time period.
What support will I get?
There will be a compulsory training session for mentors, as well as a launch event for all participants. There will be optional drop in sessions for mentors and optional training sessions for mentees.
Mentor training session: 10th January 2-4pm OR 17th January 2-4pm (you only need to attend one)
Scheme launch event: 24th January 2-4pm
Mentee training session 1: 31st January, 3-5pm
Mentee training session 2: 28th February, 3pm
Mentee training session 3: 27th March, 3-5pm
Why is this scheme only for students who are Black or from a minoritised ethnic group?
Minoritised ethnic groups are significantly under-represented, and this scheme will help address these inequalities by:
- Ensuring UG students from these backgrounds are supported to reach their potential
- Reducing feelings of isolation for UG students who do not work in ethnically-diverse areas
We also take an intersectional approach to EDI and have completed an equality analysis to ensure any negative impact on a group is mitigated against.
For more information on other schemes please visit our website: website.
You can find out about other mentoring schemes for students on the KCLSU website.
If you have any questions, please contact diversity@kcl.ac.uk
Mutual Mentoring Scheme
Mutual mentoring’ distinguishes itself from the traditional model of ‘top-down mentoring’, and from ‘reverse mentoring’. In the Mutual Mentoring scheme, everyone is a mentor (and everyone is a mentee).
To support the career development of staff from underrepresented groups, senior leaders share their professional experience and ideas, supporting their Lived Experience Mentor and passing on learnings. Senior Leadership Mentors are expected to act as sponsors for their mentor, enabling access to useful networks and support.
Lived Experience Mentors help senior leaders to develop self-confidence and knowledge of their chosen area of EDI. The primary purpose of Mutual Mentoring is to aid personal and professional development for both partners.
By creating open and honest discussion, we hope that both partners will bring their learning to work, resulting in more staff progressing within their careers, and feeling enabled to do so.
The third wave of Mutual Mentoring has been postponed.
For questions please complete our EDI enquiry form here.
Contact Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
For more information or assistance please contact Equality, Diversity & Inclusion via our enquiry form below.