ISU’s Career Center is at the service of students and mediates between the students’ interest in conducting practical classes and the search for companies for interns. The center also offers:
- information about the realization of student internship;
- counseling;
- career research;
- promoting the faculty to future students.
The center connects our students with the companies that offer internships and employment opportunities, networking with the business sector and establishing professional contacts, as well as strengthening their decision-making skills for employment. Such an effective partnership guides the student’s career, but at the same time promotes the University to the working community.
The results of the research conducted for the operation of the career center, the current mentoring model, are presented in continuation of this self-evaluation report.
The Career Center at the University is constantly available to all student`s questions. Our goal is for all students to provide a pleasant atmosphere which will help students to realize their academic potential.
For these reasons through the Career Centre, just after the enrollment, you get a mentor who will guide you through your studies. Mentoring is a system where teachers and assistants are entering in the role of your guide during your studies, similar to the headmaster, but better.
In fact, your contacts with the Career Center will be mainly guided to your contact with the mentor. Certainly, if you want to, you can always ask for help from the team members.
A new model of active mentoring for better education
A new system will start operating from the academic 2016/17 year and it will be applied only to new students. Taking into account the results of the previous research, the system of actively mentoring proved to be a system that should improve the professional life of students, as it would offer support to achieve their set goals.
According to the research results, the system has many advantages and will positively affect the students and their mentors because it acts both ways. Students would will receive the support they need, and mentors will noticed the positive and negative impacts of the current educational system.
The model of active mentoring is still refining and refers to the idea of motivating the students to realize their ambitions. Sometimes all they need is someone to guide them and to remind them about their values and how much they can achieve, and that will be the task of the mentor.
Mentors will give you guidelines
Mentor will share with you its knowledge and experience and he/ she will help you excel in your career. He/ She is always available for you and offers its assistance whenever needed. He / she will inform you about everything you are interested in, in relation to the studies and the way of studying, and will help you to overcome all the problems that you are facing with during your studies.
Mentoring is more than only counseling or transfer of experience. It is motivating and stimulating for the student to recognize his/ her own potential and his / her own goals with a way to achieve them. The mentor will not achieve the objective rather than the student, but he / she will teach him /her how to achieve it on his / her own.
In other words, the mentor tries to teach his / her students the techniques of “fishing” instead of leaving him / her already “caught fish.”
Why mentoring is good for the student?
The student will be able to shape and achieve his /her goals faster and more effectively than working alone. Having access to the experience and views of the mentor, he /she will be able to predict positive and negative characteristics of certain procedures and he /she will be able to make conclusions easier.
The mentor will help you figure out where you are now, where you want to be and how to get there. He will indicate the changes needed to overcome the obstacles presented in order to improve your professional development.
What are the characteristics of a good mentor?
Mentoring is a two-way path. Mentors can learn much from the students they work with, because it helps them to develop their communication skills. Mentoring offers personal benefits, teaching of selflessness, dedication and collegiality.
Mentor wants to help others realize their potential. You can have confidence – they will hear you out and after that, they will point out the things you do right and things that need to be changed.
Mentor encourages his / her student, gives them advice and encourages them to go forward to greater success and achievements.
Model of mentoring
At the beginning of this year, you can also visit our Career Center and ask to have a mentor assigned. A mentor can be assigned by the Career Center, or you can choose it yourself.
At the beginning, the mentor will help you to become familiar with the university rules and conditions for studying, the manner of informing and “survival” of the first semester. You can address to him / her about all unclear things.
A mentor can give you some advice for choosing elective courses, themes for project activities, seminars, conferences and projects. If the mentor believes it would be useful for you and your career, it can offer you internship in a particular company or team work in solving a particular problem.
And by following the advice of an experienced mentor, you will be able to develop your strengths and potential, identify your needs and values and determine what is important to you and your career.
Everything depends on what you want to achieve and how much energy you are willing to invest in achieving your goals.