Helping underserved students start their career with the Global Mentoring Initiative

Mentorship is a powerful way to help people reach their full potential and power others to reach their own, so Xplor Technologies teamed up with the Global Mentorship Initiative to help students around the world succeed.

The Global Mentorship Initiative (GMI) supports college students from underserved communities around the world in transitioning from education to their first job through short-term, structured online mentorship programs. 

Since 2020, GMI has helped more than 2,500 students, working with universities and youth partners  in 92 countries, including eight refugee camps. And the program works: 76% of program graduates land a job within six months of graduating, and 82% of students said the GMI program was important in them landing a new job.

“Mentoring can open doors for a new generation of leaders, regardless of their nationality, ability, and background,” said Renae Murphy, SVP Colleague Experience, Talent and ESG. “Good jobs are available, but sometimes it’s difficult for underserved youth to find them. This program is all about helping these students succeed, and giving every Xplorer an opportunity to build their coaching skills and cultural competencies.”

GMI prepares college students around the world for their job search, using structured, short-term, online mentorship programs with a career professional. Born out of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs in Africa Initiative, GMI creates job opportunities for mentees by addressing the soft skills knowledge gap and increasing access to open positions – through their business network and corporate sponsors. 

One year on, what impact has our partnership with GMI made? In 2022, Xplorers volunteered 270 hours, with mentors in Australia, Malaysia, the UK and the U.S. sharing their time and insights. We supported 12 students, based in Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Sierra Leone. Our sponsor donation helped 40 students to complete the GMI mentorship program. 

Xplorer mentors came from all walks of the company, from Chief Innovation Officer to Engineer, HR Consultant to Product Manager: 

“When Xplor announced the option to become a mentor through GMI, my first reaction was that it would be something I would like to do as a way of giving back in some small way. If I could make a difference to a young person’s life, I knew it would be extremely rewarding. I am so glad I did! Today has been an absolute pleasure to mentor and the whole experience has opened my eyes to the challenges young people have to face in some parts of the world,” said David Reid, Business Development Manager. 

“Our culture at Xplor is to share knowledge, give back and support each other, so putting myself forward to help others that don’t have the same chances in other regions was a no brainer. At first it was tricky to apply my career’s experience to the environment that my mentee was working in as opportunities were in short supply. However, in the end we were both working well as a team and moving forward together to land her the ideal job,” said Mike Greener, System Engineer.

“When the option to become a mentor was offered by Xplor I was excited by the challenge to do something out of the norm. The mentoring pack provided by GMI was very comprehensive and made the process very easy. Helping a mentee made me realize how much knowledge and experience I have to offer and my mentee was a joy to mentor. Each week I got a little uptick in energy knowing that I’d made a positive impact,” said Simon Atkinson, Product Manager.

“For anyone who is thinking of becoming a mentor, I really recommend the GMI. It’s a brilliant program that provides loads of tools and support for you and your mentee. I’m so glad that Xplor partnered with GMI and gave me the opportunity to take part in the program,” said Siobhan Way, Internal Communications and Engagement Manager.

The students mentored by our Xplorers were also thrilled by the quality and passion of their mentors: 

“One of the things I learned from the mentorship is how to prepare for interviews. Answering questions during the interview has always been a challenging thing to do. In addition, it has helped to improve explaining my strengths and weaknesses and how I am improving my weaknesses. During the mentorship I also learned the importance of reviewing yourself, knowing your good and bad points,” said Bernard M, who is currently working in Japan to improve agriculture and protect biodiversity through innovative technology. 

“So grateful to have had Siobhan as a mentor. She made this mentorship program so enjoyable and beneficial. Session after session, she enriched me with helpful tips, and the tools that a fresh graduate needs to excel in work,” said Reem K, a recent Banking & Finance graduate, now interning with the HR department of an international digital coaching platform. 

“GMI positively impacted my life, and without a doubt, it has been a great blessing. Each lesson was highly productive. I was able to learn and enrich many of my skills,” said Grethell E, who is currently helping other students as an admissions counselor at Keiser University. 

Our partnership with GMI is part of our Leave a Lasting Impact strategy which is designed to positively impact communities on a local and global scale – by improving inclusion and diversity, wellbeing and education. Leave a Lasting Impact is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the leading international framework for creating a more sustainable and prosperous future. Our partnership with GMI helps make a difference in two of our priority areas; Goal 4 Quality Education and Goal 5 Gender Equality.

For more information on how Xplor powers potential, visit careers.