Programme lead and Senior Lecturer Dr Daniel van der Walt, says that the success of ENG ME! is down to the students, “Students vote with their feet, we have high participation numbers and for the last round of mentors, we had over 200 applications for 55 positions. These students have come through the programme in their first year and see the value.”
“The student-led, faculty-enabled approach allows students to constantly evolve the programme so it meets the needs of each new and unique cohort. Feedback from students is used to make real-time changes to the programme, so there is continuous improvement for the current and future students,” Dr van der Walt says.
Engineering graduate and previous mentee, mentor and mentor leader Abigail Field says the support from the programme was invaluable for her wellbeing, study and career, “These sessions provided me with friends, but also with validation.
“The first-year engineering cohort is massive. By having a group of 30 or so of your fellow students in your ENG ME! sessions, the opportunity to make real connections is so much more accessible. My mentor facilitated just talking about ourselves and our experiences and whatever we were struggling with,” she says.
“I was able to pass on my own tips and experiences to my own mentees, and I know for a fact this helped them to become the students they wanted to be in their first year of university.”
The ENVI awards, on 28 July, aim to highlight individuals, teams, organisations, or academic institutions thinking ahead for the future of engineering.
