Career Development Opportunities Start with External Mentors

May 28, 2015

The Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) 2015 External Mentor-Student Meeting and Student Career Embarking Ceremony were recently held on campus with 240 external mentors in attendance together with XJTLU students. .

Regarding the aim of the external mentor programme, Ms. Xi Wei from Far Eastern Leasing Co., LTD commented that, “The programme aims to improve students’ comprehensive qualities and professional competitiveness.” She also said that to train an outstanding talent not only requires an integrative educational system but also demands responsibility and a positive attitude.

As a representative of the XJTLU external mentors, Mr. Jing Fan, Chairman of Shanghai Baoom Industrial Automation Co., LTD said that it is coincidence that his child studies at XJTLU. In his point of view, “It is very valuable and worthwhile to help students in any way by our mentoring guidance and actions.”

The External Mentor-Student Meeting and Student Career Embarking Ceremony was held at the XJTLU International Conference Centre where at the beginning of the ceremony, Executive President of XJTLU, Professor Youmin Xi, detailed the University’s unique Five-star Education Model and gave suggestions as to how to become a competitive global citizen.

Professor Xi said, “Successful social experience requires the combination of personal qualities, knowledge, capacity, intelligence, fighting spirit and opportunities. As for ambitious students, the most important experience of higher education is combining study in class with gaining knowledge and experience from a suitable mentor.”

Ms. Chen Xu from Robert Bosch GmbH China delivered a speech titled “To be friends with students” in which she shared her own experience as an external mentor from three main perspectives including: building a trusting relationship, the positive role of mentors and a guidance system for students. She agreed with XJTLU’s Five-star Education Model saying,, “Based on this model, we should provide necessary information for students and let them find the answers by themselves in order to improve their independent thinking abilities.”

As a new mentor, Ms. Limin Hong, Director of the Accounting Department of Fubon Bank, stated, “I hope to help students set up correct attitudes toward employment and personal development and to improve their interview and CV-writing skills from a human resources perspective.”

Ms. Mengge Tian, Year 4 student majoring in English and Finance explained her communication with her mentor Haibin Bao over the last year, “Mr. Bao introduced me us his friends from different fields, provided us opportunities to get in touch with different industries and gave us the chance to learn totally different skills from classroom learning.

As a representative student who joined this year’s external mentor programme, Ms. Yue Meng, Year 3 students majoring in English and International Business, shared her opinions about external mentor programme at the ceremony and said, “As students, we should seek assistance from mentors and improve our capabilities accordingly. The number of external mentors this year has increased to 240 and this number of mentors will ensure that each student has access to industry links via their mentors.

May 28, 2015