What is Mentoring, Really?
Mentoring is one of the most powerful yet misunderstood tools for personal and professional development. It might seem like a straightforward activity, but the reality is far more nuanced. Ask ten people what mentoring is, and you will likely receive ten different answers.
Often confused with coaching or counselling, mentoring is a distinct, relational process rooted in trust, mutual learning, and personal growth. David Clutterbuck (2014), a pioneer in the field, offers a useful framework that helps distinguish mentoring from other support roles such as coaching, counselling, and networking. While coaching focuses on performance and goal achievement, counselling addresses emotional or psychological challenges, and networking connects people with resources, mentoring brings a more holistic, developmental approach. It weaves together guidance, listening, reflection, and encouragement to support a person’s broader growth academically, professionally, and personally.
In higher education, this distinction is not just semantic; it is strategic. Mentoring responds to a growing need for authentic human connection in complex institutional environments. Unlike coaching or training, which are often task-based and short-term, mentoring is long-term, person-centred, and grounded in the shared journey between mentor and mentee. It creates the space for individuals to reflect, challenge assumptions, and build confidence.
When embedded thoughtfully across institutional practices, mentoring fosters a culture of support and development, strengthens relationships with surrounding communities, and contributes to long-term, positive change that reaches well beyond the university walls. Mentoring is reflected in successful achievement of the standards: institutional commitment, Third Mission Activities, and impact.
The Transformative Role of Mentoring in Higher Education
Implemented with purpose, mentoring has great potential to transform not only the student experience but also the broader role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in society. More than just a developmental tool, mentoring acts as a powerful engagement strategy that strengthens relationships, aligns institutional values with practice, and fosters deeper connections between individuals and communities. It can empower students by building resilience, self-efficacy, and real-world readiness, while also contributing to staff development through intergenerational learning and reflective leadership.
Mentoring enhances institutional engagement by serving as a connective tissue between the university and its wider social environment. When intentionally designed, mentoring initiatives activate core institutional values such as inclusion, equity, and civic responsibility and translate them into lived experiences. By promoting intercultural understanding and authentic dialogue and interactions, mentoring fosters meaningful, trust-based relationships between students, staff, and the communities they serve.
Through my work coordinating mentoring-focused collaborations within HEI, SME, and NGO partnerships, I have seen how well-designed mentoring initiatives extend far beyond student support. They serve as strategic tools to engage diverse stakeholders, strengthen community bonds, and build purpose-driven ecosystems around HEIs.
For example, Mentor Your Future (MYFuture), a project running from 2020 to 2023, aimed to develop a shared European methodology for student mentoring in HEIs. With a strong emphasis on social inclusion, MYFuture united partners from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Bulgaria, and Cyprus to create a common mentoring framework. This framework empowers students to prepare for the labour market, strengthen their soft skills, and contribute to more cohesive and inclusive communities.
Building on the framework and resources developed by MYFuture, Bridges by Mentors was launched in 2023 as a spin-off initiative. Joined by two new partners from France and Belgium, the project shifts the focus to the mentors themselves - international students. It responds to a common challenge in higher education: international students often struggle to build meaningful connections with local communities, which can affect their sense of belonging. At the same time, many young people, particularly in rural areas, lack opportunities to engage with diverse cultures, limiting their exposure to global perspectives.
Bridges by Mentors addresses this divide through its Mentoring Outreach Program, which trains international students to mentor local youth. Through structured training, purposeful activities, and a continuous engagement program, the initiative fosters mutual understanding, cultural exchange, and skill development for both mentors and mentees.
These initiatives demonstrate that mentoring is far more than a support mechanism. It is a strategic, institution-wide approach to engagement that creates ripple effects across individual, institutional, and societal levels. By positioning international students as mentors and engaging local youth in intercultural relationships, both Bridges by Mentors and MYFuture exemplify how mentoring can be leveraged to build connection, instil purpose, and drive positive impact within and beyond the university.
Beyond Projects: Embedding Mentoring for Institutional and Societal Impact
Successful mentoring initiatives, such as those mentioned above, cannot remain isolated or project-bound. To create lasting change, mentoring must be embraced as a strategic capability that enables HEIs to engage more meaningfully with students, staff, and their communities. Rather than being treated as an extracurricular add-on, mentoring should be embedded into core institutional structures as a purposeful and adaptable engagement tool.
When thoughtfully integrated into academic and administrative practices, mentoring strengthens relationships, encourages collaboration, and reinforces a sense of shared responsibility across the institution and beyond. It supports connection across roles, disciplines, and societal boundaries, positioning universities as more open, responsive, and connected to the people they serve. This approach reflects a deeper level of institutional commitment. Investing in mentoring over the long term enhances a university’s relevance, adaptability, and capacity to navigate complex and evolving environments.
To realise its full potential, mentoring must move beyond implementation and focus on valorisation, transforming initiatives into sustainable practices and long-term institutional assets. For example, training resources and mentoring frameworks developed through projects like MYFuture and Bridges by Mentors can be adapted for new groups, embedded into institutional strategies, or used to inform broader policy discussions. In this way, mentoring emphasises institutional commitment, strengthens impact, and supports Third Mission Activities. It becomes a practical and strategic approach to advancing institutional development and strengthening social connection.
The Way Forward
Mentoring in higher education is not a luxury but a necessity. As the world becomes increasingly unpredictable, shaped by rapid technological advances and shifting global dynamics, the need for meaningful human connection has never been greater. This is a critical moment for HEIs, policymakers, and community stakeholders to unite and invest in thoughtful, adaptable mentoring models that build resilience, foster belonging, and empower individuals and communities to navigate complexity with confidence and compassion. When mentoring is deeply embedded in university practices and linked to the broader society, it becomes a transformative force, nurturing personal and professional growth, strengthening institutional relevance, and driving positive change across communities.
Clutterbuck, D. (2014). Everyone needs a mentor: Fostering talent in your organisation (5th ed.). Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
European Commission (2021). How to Communicate Your Project. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/429c34ff-7231-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1
MYFuture (Mentor Your Future). (2020–2023). Erasmus+ KA2 project no. 2020-1-NL01-KA203-064703.
Bridges by Mentors (Building up Resources for Institutions to Develop Global Engagement of International Students by Mentors). (2023–2026). Erasmus+ KA2 project no. 2023-1-NL01-KA220-HED-000157379. www.bridgesbymentors.eu
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Cover image courtesy of the Bridges by Mentors Project