Birmingham City University (BCU) welcomed Katapult X on to campus on Monday 26 February for their event – The Power of Mentorship: Unlocking Potential and Uplifting Emerging Talent’. A collaboration between both Katapult X and BCU.
The event welcomed just over 100 students and over 20 senior leaders from global organisations.
Breaking down barriers
Hosted by Shaid Latif Industry Value Advisor from SAP, this exclusive event for BCU students aimed to equip them with the knowledge to support their own personal journeys.
The main theme throughout the event was to showcase the power of mentorship in overcoming obstacles and helping to shape the future workforce.
“You can only go so far on your own; every leader here today has benefitted from a mentor, effective mentorship allows you to breakdown mental blocks that you don’t even know you have and will help you catapult your career forward so you can forge your path to be a future leader.”
Jay Rohman, Co-Founder of Katapult X
Students heard from a panel of experts who shared their own experiences of how mentorship shaped and transformed their careers. The panel included Alison Howman from Astellas Pharma, Angela Melling from Leonardo, Navid Amin from WSP, Jon Mckellar from F5 and Som Sarangi from Capgemini.
The event also included a session on tackling imposter syndrome, something that has been picked up more widely in recent years. Allowing more people to understand the ‘monkey mindset’ and more importantly, how to calm the chatter. Through deeper understanding and becoming actively aware of this, individuals can begin to seek help and introduce the techniques that can help them in overcoming this.
Accelerating student’s careers
Katapult X believes in breaking barriers and providing equal opportunities for all. Their programmes are designed to equip individuals with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to thrive personally and professionally, and this message came through loud and clear from the individual speakers and thematically across the sessions.
“We are excited to be working in collaboration with Katapult X to provide further support for our students. It is important that we continue to work together with organisations to raise students' aspirations and give them the tools they need to reach their full potential in an ever-changing world of technology and expectations”
Julie Stonall, Assistant Director, Birmingham City University.
The organisation is a purpose-driven social enterprise, with their focus and mission on accelerating career aspirations for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Helping to support future talent
Following on from the event, students who attended will be matched with a professional mentor. Providing them with the opportunity to further develop their skills and boost their career aspirations.
Through these new relationships, students will be provided with a platform to explore new ideas benefitting from the lived experience of professionals that were once like them.
Exploring their future options and feeling uncertain, but ready to take the next step into the future.
