Several students from The Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of the West Indies, (The UWI) Mona, have been selected and will shortly embark on an international mentorship experience with the Global Mentorship Initiative Program (GMI) out of the US. The idea behind this initiative is to match students with mentors who have significant international experience and knowledge in an effort to create more market-ready graduates.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is the largest faculty at The University of the West Indies with approximately 8000 active students engaging with study areas such as Business, Economics, Psychology, Disability Studies, Government, and Social Policy. David Tennant, Dean for The Faculty of Social Sciences says, “Our social scientists are the social engineers of our society and are instrumental in the progression and advancement of our country. The GMI program will ensure our current students get the necessary skills, advice, and exposure needed to continue our contribution to society and the wider global community.”

The Global Mentorship Initiative is a non-profit initiative created to help youth around the world find a path to a promising future through mentorship.

Speaking to the importance of mentorship, Jon Browning, GMI’s CEO sid “The fact is having a degree alone doesn’t mean you are prepared for your first job. Our mentorship program helps bridge the gap by providing students with experienced mentors who coach them on vital business skills”.

Students will engage in 14 one-hour sessions where they will benefit from the creation of a career plan, resume reviews, interview coaching, personal branding in the digital space, and business strategies.

“We believe this partnership will give our FSS graduates that extra edge needed to be competitive in the local, regional, and international job market. We understand that COVID-19 has brought with it opportunities that further globalization especially as it relates to the ability to work remotely from anywhere in the world for any business in the world, and this partnership will give our students a much better chance to adapt to this shift in how we work and will work in the future,” explained Lisa Vasciannie, Associate Dean of Partnerships and Resource Mobilization for the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Mona is celebrating 60 years of education, research, and innovation in Jamaica and the region and aims to provide this mentorship opportunity to at least 60 FSS students who have been nominated by their lecturers.

For more information on the Faculty and 60th anniversary visit https://www.mona.uwi.edu/socsci/ or on social media @fssuwimona.