Academic Mentor

Reporting to: Director of Programmes

Direct reports: N/A

Location: Holborn, London

Role Summary

Academic Mentors provide guidance and coach students on a wide range of academic and pastoral topics. Often, academic mentoring sessions can act as space for dialogic education, where academics and students can discuss students’ studies and the links of the content to themselves and current events.

Academic Mentors will contribute and develop high quality academic mentoring for a cohort of students, supporting, developing and implementing strategies, which will contribute towards effective learning, behaviour and achievement throughout the students’ time at the College, which then enhances their attendance, engagement and retention.

Postholders will proactively seek to improve attention, progression and achievement figures through contributing to a healthy, safe, happy and challenging environment in which students feel supported and can work hard, free of disruption, develop mutual respect for each other, grow in confidence and achieve their potential.

Key Activities & Responsibilities

• Ensuring that students are receiving an education appropriate to their needs by removing barriers to learning and developing effective learning behaviour.
• Assisting and developing appropriate intervention strategies, working with curriculum team leaders, to ensure that students achieve and develop learning behaviour.
• Committing to developing strategies that raise student achievement, which can be adapted in tutorial/academic mentoring.
• Working closely with the academic and admin teams to ensure that the needs of all students and those with special education needs are met.
• Identifying those students who would benefit most from intervention work, and working with others, draw up and implement an action plan for each student who needs particular support (and assessing the impact of existing interventions in situations where the student is already receiving additional support).
• Monitoring and reporting on the implementation of all plans drawn up to remove barriers for effective learning and transition to education for all students.
• Ensuring that all support work for the student is appropriately managed in an integrated way that is focused on student attainment.
• Promoting the speedy and effective transfer of student information, across schools and/or colleges to ensure that Management receive appropriate weekly reports on individual student progression. 
• Liaising closely with all partners, subject leaders and academics on effective implementation of the mentoring programme.
• Developing a full knowledge and appreciation of the range of activities, courses, opportunities, organisations and individuals that could be drawn upon to provide extra support for students.
• Contributing to discussions, meetings and the management and administration of the mentoring programme.
• Undertaking tutorials and individual 1-to-1 meetings with students in order to support and develop the students’ study skills with a priority directed towards completion of the students’ coursework to a satisfactory standard.
• Compiling Individual Learning Plans, utilising with the student SMART action plans to complete tasks on time.
• Following up on student attendance and maintaining a detailed record of each interaction.
• Ensuring learning Issues are identified and appropriate remedial action is put in place.
• Sharing and implementing good practice within the GUS Group.

Specifically, your responsibilities as an academic mentor are to:

• Provide students with academic guidance and feedback on students’ progress and performance, and discuss any academic challenges they may experience.
• Provide pastoral guidance on non-academic issues and refer students, as necessary, to the appropriate support services within the College;
• Implement the provisions outlined in Inclusion Plans for students with long-term medical conditions, specific learning differences and/or disabilities in liaison with the College’s Disability and Wellbeing Service;
• Students will be invited to meet their Academic Mentor at least four times during term. These meetings may take the form of 1-2-1 sessions or small group gatherings, so that mentees can meet one another and discuss issues of mutual interest.
• Comment on and provide general assessment of students’ progression on their teaching and learning
• Support students on their Personal Mastery I, II and III advising them of engagement opportunities that will enhance their education and future career currency
• Work with relevant stakeholders across the College to support the student in terms of their engagement with their course, wellbeing and overall student experience.
• Inform the Director of Programmes, Course Director, Engagement Advisors and Admin teams of any students whose attendance and progress is not satisfactory.

Requirements for the role

Qualifications/Education

Essential

• A degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience

Desirable

• A PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• The ability to work and communicate effectively with colleagues across the GUS group in order to make best use of the resources available in support of student success
• Knowledge of the range of support services available for students to access and all relevant policies and procedures
• The ability to draw up realistic SMART action plans for disaffected and underachieving students
• The ability to demonstrate empathy, communication, listening and interpersonal skills when dealing with adult learners, and an awareness of the particular challenges they face
• The ability to adopt an organised and methodical approach to work, to be self-sufficient and self-directed in pursuit of supporting students and achieving targets
• Good administrative and comprehensive reporting skills
• The ability to work as part of a team with other stakeholders, sharing knowledge and experience
• The ability to work flexibly in support of students from a range of responsibilities and from diverse backgrounds
• Knowledge of awarding body regulations and the ability to work within these
• Knowledge of safeguarding and associated principles (the Prevent agenda etc.)

Desirable

• Involvement with professional bodies

Experience

Essential Desirable

• Experience of establishing good relationships with students in order to motivate, inspire and support them to achieve success
• Experience of working creatively with students to identify strengths and targets for development/achievement
• Experience of demonstrating a positive attitude to working with challenging students from a range of backgrounds
• Experience of negotiating effectively with students and student support services, both within and outside the organisation, in order to achieve successful outcomes
• Relevant experience of teaching or providing associated student support at HE level

Desirable

• Experience of identifying appropriate resources and agencies of support
• Experience of working with students with educational support needs
• Experience of working within the UK education sector
• Experience of working with a range of internal and external agencies

The post holder may be asked to undertake different or additional duties in line with business requirements at the request of their line manager.

There is an expectation that all employees will maintain the values of the Group and will comply with the code of conduct as well as equality and diversity, health and safety and safeguarding policies.

There will be an occasional need to undertake business travel between other sites within London and across the UK.