Mentors Matter: Students Value Advice and Guidance from Faculty and Employers January 31, 2019 By Carol D’Amico, Ed.D. Read Time Strada Article Advising Career Connection Employers Navigating Education Research Research Team ... January is National Mentoring Month and students have a message for faculty and employers: Your advice and influence matters. Perhaps more than you realize. Career mentoring is more important than ever in helping learners of all ages and stages navigate pathways between education and employment. Everybody needs the support of a mentor, from young adults entering the workforce to adult learners looking to advance professionally. Having a mentor can mean the difference between seeking more education to jumpstart a new career or settling for an at-risk job soon to be automated. At Strada Education Network, we are examining mentorship, its sources, and the vital role mentors play in the educational choices of consumers. In partnership with Gallup, we have listened to more than 300,000 individuals, from those who have never pursued education beyond high school to those with post-graduate degrees and everyone in between. We have learned that mentorship and career advice are in high demand but short supply. We’ve found that faculty are the predominant source of mentorship among college undergraduates. Nearly two-thirds of recent graduates who had a mentor in college say their mentor was a professor. Faculty mentoring is no longer as straightforward as giving a student advice about what jobs to look for or helping them to polish their resumes. By age 19, many young people are already on their employment pathway, whether they have been purposeful in choosing it or not. They are already working full or part-time, while balancing school, family, financial concerns, and everyday life. Faculty mentors are sought after because of the connection their advice has not only to students’ coursework, but also to their career paths and lives. This has important implications in engaging and integrating faculty as frontline career advisers and coaches – working together with career services to support students. At the same time, career advice from employers is highly valued. This makes sense, as the top motivation in pursuing more education – far exceeding all others — is to advance in a career or profession. More than 80 percent of college students agree that work-based advice from employers and colleagues on the job is helpful, more so than advice from any other source. However, only 20 percent say they have access to work-based advice. The demand for work-based advice is further reflected in the finding that two of the Big Six success factors essential for college students are internships and mentorships. For students today, success in college comes in part from success in work-based learning, along with guidance from mentors. Work-based mentors, along with internships, help build the human and technical skills all learners need as they launch a new career or advance in their current one. Unfortunately, only a quarter of college graduates strongly agree they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams. Among recent graduates, nearly three quarters (72%) of white students say that mentor was a professor compared to fewer than half (47%) of their minority peers. The numbers on work-based mentors are similar. Only one in five college students say they received career advice from an employer or work colleague about what to study. While more than half of college graduates have regrets about their education pathways, those who receive advice about their education have significantly fewer regrets. It’s problematic that, when all is said and done, only one-third of graduates say they feel prepared to succeed in the workplace. Mentors play a critical role in bridging the divides between learning and work. Institutions and employers who are already engaged in mentorship programs should be commended for their leadership. We need to share key learnings and scale successful models – which is a significant focus for us at Strada working with partners like the University Innovation Alliance, the Council of Independent Colleges, Jackie Robinson Foundation, Paul Quinn College, Excelencia in Education, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and others to increase access to mentoring for more students. Many of us have a story about the life-changing advice we received from a valued professor and/or professional mentor. We can transform the education-to-employment trajectory for millions more Americans by listening to what learners are telling us: mentors matter and we need more from faculty and employers. Group 13 Group 11 Group 12 To create a PDF of the webpage, choose in opened window 'Save as PDF' option in 'Destination' select or something like that and click to save or print button. Got it Carol D’Amico, Ed.D. Learn More Latest From Research March 16, 2022 The Power of Work-Based Learning Applied connections between education and work are increasingly a part of undergraduate education in the United States. March 16, 2022 New study shows paid internships boost first-job salaries by $3,000 and student confidence about their careers Disparities in securing paid internships persist for women, people of color, first-generation college students, and students with low incomes — even when taking into account their fields of study February 16, 2022 The Significant Value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Two centuries after the first historically Black colleges and universities were founded, the 101 accredited HBCUs in operation today continue to deliver on their legacy of expanding educational opportunity for Black students that leads to successful and fulfilling lives. January 19, 2022 How Colleges Help Students Succeed Beyond Completion As a field, higher education has experienced a continuing evolution in how to measure success. For nearly five decades success efforts were focused on access, followed by the past decade and a half pursuing completion, and the field now has a growing focus on the value of a degree and student outcomes beyond completion. January 5, 2022 5 Ways To Integrate Career Connection Into College Experience Recent Strada research points to a striking disparity between first-year students’ aspirations for career planning in their undergraduate years and seniors’ actual experiences. December 8, 2021 Understanding Undergraduates’ Career Preparation Experiences Strada’s prior research on undergraduate perceptions of the value of their education demonstrates that students value their education most when they receive support to connect their education and career interests. December 8, 2021 Analysis of Undergraduate Career Preparation Emphasizes Need for Professional NSSE and Strada researchers identify gaps in social capital development in 2021 NSSE career preparation data November 29, 2021 Promising Practices for Reconnecting Recent High School Graduates to Postsecondary Education In the wake of historic pandemic-related enrollment declines, postsecondary institutions have responded by developing and expanding innovative approaches to engaging learners. October 27, 2021 Student Outcomes Beyond Completion: National Findings From the 2021 Strada Alumni Survey The baccalaureate degree remains the surest path to economic mobility, employment stability, and a host of associated social benefits. October 27, 2021 Nationwide alumni survey looks beyond completion to understand experience, benefits of a college degree Courses, faculty receive high marks, but valued education-career connections are less consistent, and females, first-generation, Black alumni are less likely to report successful outcomes