MFL Mentoring
MFL Mentoring has been offering two vocational accreditation units certified by Agored Cymru to its student mentors for the past four years. The accreditation has been designed by the project team in collaboration with Agored Cymru, past mentors and teachers.
MFL Mentoring has been offering two vocational accreditation units certified by Agored Cymru to its student mentors for the past four years. The accreditation has been designed by the project team in collaboration with Agored Cymru, past mentors and teachers. It’s split into two units that students can complete over the two semesters that they work with the project.
What’s great about the accreditation is that it covers not only the knowledge but also the skills that students gain through their mentoring experience with the project. Unit 1 of the accreditation provides students with the opportunity to explore the mentoring theory and ethos discussed during the mentor training weekend that underpins MFL Mentoring. Meanwhile, Unit 2 provides students with the opportunity to practise the skills they have developed during the mentoring cycle and reflect on their experiences.
Students complete the accreditation through a written workbook, designed to support both practical and theoretical knowledge and skills development. For some questions students have the option to submit responses in writing or through video presentations, offering flexibility and more accessible ways for students to engage with the assessment. The assessment is designed to develop students’ professional skills and to support their understanding of how transferable the skills they’ve gained through the project are. The accreditation actively promotes reflection which is an invaluable skill for students to develop and prepares them well for the world of work.
The accreditation is beneficial for all students, but particularly relevant to those wanting to go into management, graduate schemes or teaching. Mentoring itself is a highly transferable and a sought-after skill amongst employers. We therefore encourage all student mentors to consider completing one or both units. This year 27 students from across 6 different universities (Bangor, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Cardiff Met and UWTSD) have completed either or both of the units.
Completing the units means that students leave the project with a recognised accreditation from Agored Cymru, which demonstrates the rich extent of the knowledge and skills that they’ve gained through the mentoring experience - and it’s a great addition to their CVs.”