MENTORING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module provides the final stage in the employability and professional development thread of the SHTM UG programmes. This module focuses on developing a mentoring relationship between students and industry professionals representing a range of career opportunities and positions within tourism and hospitality. The formal mentor relationship will give the students exposure to industry and a dedicated mentor. The mentor will assign the student an industry based project to complete with the objective to provide the opportunity for the students to experience first-hand how business operates. The mentor will guide the student through the process and aid with their skill development. The module is offered in partnership with Troika recruitment.

Module provider

Hospitality, Tourism & Events Management

Module Leader

GANBERT Sylvia (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 30

ECTS Credits: 15

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

To have completed MAN3160

Module content

Academic and Transferable Skill Development:
• Analysis of business and sensitive commercial data
• Verbal and non-verbal communication skills (including: presentation skills, business report writing, online communication techniques and taking feedback)
• Self-reflection and awareness through analysis of own skill development and current levels
Applied Professional Development for Hospitality and Tourism:
• Employability: general and sector-specific skill set requirements
• Developing professional identity and impact by managing the mentor relationship
• Working with industry professionals and learning from experience (from self and professionals)
• Business ethics and corporate social responsibility
• Business awareness and acumen
• How to manage your industry identity and communicate with impact
• Leadership skills and proactive relationship management
• Networking in both internal and external organisational contexts

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy for this module consists of: a) a self-reflective individual essay (where students reflect upon their skills to date and their career aspirations within the hospitality and tourism sectors using their level 4 self-reflective essay – from the Developing Professionals module - as a starting point), and b) an industry based project set by the mentor (take a problem from the mentor and work on the project using the business contacts and business information resources using the mentors business as a case study). All students will be required to demonstrate enhanced proficiency with Microsoft programmes as a component of this module and be able to make sound business recommendations to the mentor.

Unmarked formative feedback will be provided to students through a range of approaches, including question and answer sessions in class and discussions using Surrey Learn.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
• One industry based project - presented to the mentor in week 10
• One self-reflective essay – handed in week 12, reflecting on what they have learnt during the mentor experience and their skill development from level 4

Formative assessment and feedback

Support will be provided through the student academic contact sessions in classrooms and lectures and also from the guidance of the industry mentor.

Module aims

• The aim of the module is to engage students with an industry professional who will advise and guide them through an industry based project as well as exposing the student to business and help their skill development. This module will provide the final module in the thread of employability and professional development that is embedded throughout all SHTM UG programmes. In particular, students will critique their professional development throughout the course of their programme (from level 4 to 6), and will encourage students to further develop their professional identity by critiquing key issues around leadership and developing external professional networks. By working directly with an industry mentor, students will gain hands-on experience in researching a current industry problem and making commercial and sound business recommendations to their mentor as well as reflecting and developing their employability skill levels.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The key teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage students to enhance and reflect upon the key skills and values required to launch their professional identity and successful career in the hospitality and tourism industries through ongoing mentor guidance and academic support.

The module is co-delivered with Troika Recruitment and will draw upon a range of teaching and learning techniques to encourage students to actively engage and reflect upon their position as students and as future professionals in the hospitality and tourism industries.

This will reflect the aims and learning outcomes above and will comprise of a range of classroom-based techniques including: lectures, class discussion, presentations, industry analysis, role play scenarios, industry mentor visits from alumni and industry partners, that are designed explicitly to develop students’ critical ability and comprehension of the issues addressed.

Students and mentors will also be expected to meet at least twice face to face. Classes and sessions will be delivered both in teaching rooms and at the mentor’s host business.

Additional readings, activities, online resources, and lecture slides will be available on SurreyLearn.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures - one hour x weeks 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9
• Classroom support sessions – two hours x weeks 2, 6, 10
• One to one mentor/mentee sessions – 3 x two hour mentor sessions
• Industry launch event and closing awards night event – two evening events x weeks 1 and 11

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN3162

Other information

NONE

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.