The Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub

Are you a student, school leaver or recent graduate, a professional seeking advice on a career in IP, a grad student or post-doc nearing the end of your training, or just someone having trouble getting your foot in the door in the IP professions? Would it help to connect with existing IP professionals?

Our Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub, established in the autumn of 2021, aims to help would-be recruits navigate their way into the IP professions. Mentors in IP-related careers offer their time for free to provide a fixed number of mentoring sessions and answer questions about applying to join the UK’s IP sector: where and when to look, the skills you’ll need, how to frame an application, what to expect of the recruitment process, etc. The scheme is designed in particular for mentees who don’t already have access to this information through, for example, family, friends, school, university or careers advisers.

Like everything else to do with Careers in Ideas, our ultimate aim is to attract a more diverse range of recruits into the IP professions. We want to help people access these fantastic careers when they might not otherwise have been able to.

If you think you could benefit from a Careers in Ideas mentor’s help, just click the button below to sign up:

You’ll be asked some simple questions about the type(s) of IP career you’re interested in and what you hope to get from the mentoring sessions.

Once registered and accepted, you’ll be able to select from a number of available mentors depending on who you’d most like to speak to. This isn’t a permanent commitment; if the relationship doesn’t work out you’ll be able to change your mind.

There’s some initial information about the scheme in this information sheet. You’ll find more below.

We use the online MentorLoop platform to host our hub and administer the mentoring programme.

On the hub you’ll find information about how the programme works and what you can expect from it, for example the number and duration of mentoring sessions you’ll receive. You’ll communicate with your mentor, for example to organise sessions, via the hub. You’ll also find information there about data protection, confidentiality and other safeguards – and about some limitations to the scheme which mean that mentors are not able to help you with specific job applications, only to provide general guidance.

Our mentors are busy IP professionals who volunteer to do this work in their free time. The number we have will obviously limit the number of mentees we can help. We will operate a waiting list if we’re unable to accept you onto the scheme when you first apply, and will give priority to mentees who we think are most likely to benefit from Careers in Ideas input.

If you’ve any questions or concerns before you get started, please contact [email protected].

If you’re an IP professional looking to get involved as a mentor, please visit the mentors’ information page of the IP Inclusive website.

The IP Federation represents the views of UK industry in intellectual property rights (IPR) policy and practice matters within the UK, Europe and internationally. Its membership of more than 40 influential IP intensive companies has wide experience of how IP works in practice to support the growth of technology-driven industry and generate economic benefit.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is central to the work of the IP Federation and its members. We are committed to making the intellectual property (IP) professions more inclusive for all those who have the necessary aptitude, regardless of their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, wealth or background. As one of its founding members, the IP Federation has a longstanding association with IP Inclusive. The IP Federation and its members are proud to support the IP Inclusive initiative and are committed to adhering to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of employment practice, including recruitment and retention, career development and workplace ethos.

The IP Federation continues to support outreach activities that aim to promote and widen access to STEM careers and the IP professions. IP Inclusive’s Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub was developed to help individuals interested in careers in the IP professions by pairing would-be recruits with mentors. Members of the IP Federation have acted as mentors for this excellent initiative, and the IP Federation is proud to be a sponsor of the next season of the Mentoring Hub.

Learn more about the IP Federation at www.ipfederation.com.