Stirling sport students benefit from new mentorship programme
'Elevate' pairs students with industry professionals
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Ambitious sports students are benefitting from a new mentorship programme which aims to boost their employment opportunities.
Created by Sport Management Lecturer Robert Kielty – an advisor in professional sport – the 12-week initiative paired 20 high-achieving students with professionals working in senior levels across related industries, including grassroots and high-performance sport, healthcare and business.
The initiative, ‘Elevate’, has proved so successful it’s been incorporated into university sport courses.
Mr Kielty, said: “The aim of the initial pilot was to see if we could build stronger links with a wide range of industries – from sport and healthcare to business and the third sector – and to support our high-achieving students with a coach or mentor, to push them to reach their full potential. We wanted to challenge these students, build their confidence and expose them to the different career options that might be available to them.
“Our mentors varied from senior exercise science leaders in the NHS to high-performance entrepreneurs and community sport managers, and included a mixture of Stirling alumni and others not affiliated with the University.
“Our students got a huge amount from the experience, including training and interview opportunities, but what was also excellent to see was how thrilled the mentors were to be involved and how many of them have signed up to act as mentors again.”
"My confidence grew"
For second year student Shay Fox, the experience was invaluable and has landed him a job with the first team players and staff of Dumbarton Football Club.
He said: “Through the mentoring scheme, my confidence grew, and I was able to reach out to people working in different areas for guidance, advice and support, which led to a number of opportunities, including working at Dumbarton FC.
“I have played football since I was a kid, so it’s a sector I’ve always aspired to work in. I’m really involved with the players, I do a lot of testing, taking measurements, recording players speed, distance travelled and measuring body composition. I analyse the data, and it helps inform warm-ups and planning for the next game. It’s very hands-on and it’s given me amazing practical experience which I know will set me in good stead for the future.”
Heather Jackson, who is now studying on a Masters programme at Stirling following her graduation from BA (Hons) Sport Studies in June, also took part in the programme. Now working in competitive football, she cites the programme as opening her eyes to the career opportunities available.
Student
My mentor opened my eyes to the different job opportunities that might be available to me in healthcare – an area which I probably hadn’t considered before
She said: “My mentor was a senior manager in NHS Lanarkshire and he really opened my eyes to the different job opportunities that might be available to me in healthcare – an area which I probably hadn’t considered before.
“I was introduced to training opportunities, got to attend some different conferences, and I was encouraged to read more research on health development, which expanded my knowledge hugely. My mentor allowed me to see how transferable my skills are and gave me the confidence to apply for a Masters at Stirling.”
The mentorship programme facilitated regular meetings between the student and their mentee, which provided the opportunity to participate in training courses, provided career guidance, and opened doors for further professional development and networking.
Calum Crosbie
Final year student Calum Crosbie was encouraged to gain a wider experience of sport management by his mentor, Blair Cremin from the Stenhousemuir FC Community Foundation. Calum took on volunteering roles promoting sport to groups with unique characteristics, including at a ‘parent of twins’ toddler group and with Street Soccer Scotland – a charity providing free football-themed training and personal development opportunities for socially disadvantaged groups.
Calum said: “Working in sport is fiercely competitive – I saw the mentorship programme as an opportunity to gain new skills and networking opportunities.
“Blair was able to offer me a number of opportunities that matched my experience and ambition, that helped support both my personal and professional development.
“Working with Street Soccer and the twin group was hugely beneficial to me and gave me the experience and knowledge of a different avenue of sport development in action. I met so many different people which has led to further opportunities to work in both community sport development and professional coaching – including coaching at the pro-youth academy at Partick Thistle.
“It’s a 12-week programme, but the benefits have continued far beyond that.”
Now embedded in fourth-year module ‘Sports Professional Practice’, Elevate has attracted a number of new mentees keen to coach future students. They include entrepreneur Steven Rinaldi, CEO of international fitness business, Primal.
Steven said: “I was delighted to be asked to act as a mentor and we followed this up by offering opportunities within our organisation to very capable students. Aligning with a high-quality sporting university complements our brand and we wish to develop this relationship.”
Robert added: “Mentoring can be used as a fantastic tool to positively impact graduate destinations, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as Elevate continues.”
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