CRAC:: Mentors

Mentors

CRAC recruits mentors from all kinds of backgrounds to work with a team of postgraduate researchers on our residential GRADschools, which form part of the UK GRAD Programme.

GRADschools provide a challenging and engaging environment for mentors, helping them to develop facilitation, team-building and communication skills as well as to increase their awareness or understanding of different learning and working styles.

"We gained confidence and were transformed from strangers to an effective team in just a few days. Less a training course and more a positive life experience - it's also great fun!"

Mark Davies, Association of Graduate Recruiters

Being a mentor on a GRADschool offers you the opportunity to:

increase your awareness of team dynamics, your behaviours and your impact in a group
identify and practise different techniques for facilitating, supporting and enabling groups
develop the tools and confidence to create successful teams back in your workplace
gain confidence to give and receive feedback constructively
improve specific transferable skills including time management, problem solving, working under pressure, influencing and communication skills.

Mentoring on a GRADschool does not require a PhD and is best suited to:

those with at least two years work or business experience
those wanting to develop their team-building and teamworking skills
individuals in a first line management role
team leaders
those finishing a graduate training scheme in the next six months
managers from any sector at a change point in their careers
research staff working in academic posts.

Mentors on a course

Our GRADschool mentor alumni have come from a range of employment backgrounds, including:

Abcam Ltd, Accenture, Astrazeneca, Boston Scientific, BT, The Cabinet Office, Centre for Life, British Energy, British Heart Foundation, HM Revenue & Customs, Home Office, Imperial College, Institute of Cancer Research, Institute of Food Research, Institute of Physics, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Lloyds TSB, McKinsey & Company, One North-East, Pilkington, Royal Society of Chemistry, Scottish Executive, Syngenta, and many universities.