A fortnightly hour
Pathways Mentoring pairs a young person aged 16 to 24 with a volunteer for six months. They meet every fortnight, usually for an hour, in a café, a library or the mentor’s workplace. The agenda belongs to the young person: a CV, a college application, a first interview, or simply working out what comes next.
Employers in the room
This year a third of our mentors came from local employers. Young people matched with them did noticeably better six months on, partly because a mentor who hires people can explain what an interview is really looking for, and partly because they can open the door to a work trial.
Measuring six months on
We call every participant six months after their mentoring ends. This year we reached 286 of 412. Of those, 68% were in paid work, education or training, up from 61% last year and just short of our 70% target. We publish the response rate because the young people we could not reach may have had different outcomes.
What we are changing
Next year we will double the number of employer mentors and add group sessions for young people who are waiting to be matched.
