Crankstart Mentoring Programme - Become a Mentor

About the Crankstart Careers Mentoring Programme 

Thanks to a generous donation by Sir Michael Moritz and Ms Harriet Heyman, the Crankstart Scholarship offers a programme of enhanced support to UK resident students studying for their first undergraduate degree from low-income backgrounds. The Crankstart Careers Mentoring Programme matches Scholars with industry professionals from their sector of interest and over the course of 6 months will meet with their mentor four times.

Dates for the 2025-26 Crankstart Careers Mentoring Programme are below:

• October - November 2025: Crankstart Scholars apply to be a mentee
• November 2025 - January 2026: All mentees are selected and match with a suitable mentor
• January 2026 - June 2026: 4 mentoring sessions over this 6 month period

About the Crankstart Internship Programme

The Crankstart Internship Programme offers internships exclusively to Crankstart Scholars. All Scholars have access to these internships, as well as:

• A weekly bulletin, highlighting internships available through the exclusive Crankstart programme, as well as other opportunities with a widening participation initiative
• Unlimited one to one dedicated support from a Careers Adviser or internship expert. Beyond offering advice, these sessions can help a student identify a particular employer or internship to approach as an applicant, separately to the Crankstart exclusive programme
• Exclusive Round Table career talks and the Crankstart Career Development Programme

If you are interested in advertising an internship to the Crankstart Scholars, then please contact crankstart-internships@careers.ox.ac.uk.

Benefits

Although it may seem that the focus is primarily on the benefits of the programme for our students, a mentoring scheme has a number of benefits for the mentor. For example:

• Developing guidance and advice skills, as well as communication skills
• Gaining insight into current university student life, and therefore those that will be coming through the next rounds of graduate recruitment
• A chance to reflect on your own achievements, and how your career has developed
• Experience to enhance your CV
• Being an important resource to those from low-income backgrounds who may not have been afforded these kind of opportunities in the past
• Involvement in an expanding widening participation programme
• Satisfaction and fulfilment from seeing mentees progress
• Invitations to events and networking opportunities

Expectations 

Once a mentor and mentee are matched, you are expected to commit to your mentoring sessions over a period to be decided and agreed upon between the mentor and mentee.

After being selected as a mentor, you will be sent a guide which further covers what is expected from this programme, as well as advice on mentoring techniques. You will also be given the opportunity to attend optional workshops and training sessions to ensure you get the most out of your mentoring partnerships. All mentees on our programme receive training so they are equipped with the skills they need to get the most out of it. 

Testimonial

Hear from Tracey West, CEO and Co-founder of Word Forest about her experience on the programme.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Promentor Programme and I'd like to end this year with a word of advice for others who are considering taking up the role next year. In order to experience the very best and most enjoyable moments that your own life can offer, it's a marvellous idea to pause a while to make an investment in somebody else's life journey. You might also learn a thing or two, too.