The University of Westminster has been named as a finalist in the Outstanding Support for Students category at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2025. These awards recognise excellence in the UK and Irish Higher Education sector during the 2023/24 academic year.
This year is the 21st annual THE Awards, widely known as the Oscars of Higher Education. There are 21 categories, with Westminster competing against five other institutions in its selected category and being the only one based in London.
Being shortlisted for this Award is recognition of Westminster’s outstanding commitment to enhancing student experiences and career prospects through innovative, tailored initiatives that help students thrive. Westminster is home to a diverse community of 21,000 students, where 58% of home undergraduates are the first in their family to attend university. Many face barriers such as limited funding or access to professional networks, therefore need inclusive opportunities to develop the confidence and social capital to succeed. The University was ranked second in the UK in the Sutton Trust’s latest social mobility ranking, and the Being Westminster 22-29 Strategy places a strong focus on securing outstanding career outcomes for all groups of students.
Future Ready Mentoring is a key part of Westminster’s ambitions for Zone29 - the University’s new home for careers and enterprise which is due to open in Spring 2026. Zone29 provides students and graduates with access to work-related programmes, opportunities and experiences. Zone29 will connect students from all backgrounds to industry professionals to build the confidence and networks they need to succeed.
Westminster’s Future Ready Mentoring programmes offer students and recent graduates the opportunity to learn from industry role models who can help enhance their professional skills through long or short-term one-to-one career mentoring. To expand the reach of this support, the University has scaled the programme by introducing innovative in-curriculum group mentoring, prioritising courses where students face the most challenging graduate outcomes. This new approach was developed through the collaboration of multiple academic and professional services colleagues.
The University embedded 11 group mentoring programmes across nine modules of 15 distinct degree pathways. Unlike traditional one-to-one mentoring, which students must elect to do around their studies, group mentoring is integrated in time-tabled teaching and assessments, ensuring that all students can benefit without additional demands on their time. By aligning sessions with academic content, students gain practical insight into how their learning applies in practical work settings, helping to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace. Bringing mentors onsite has removed engagement barriers, created a safe environment to connect with peers and industry experts and enabled mentors to play a key role in nurturing the next generation of talent.
In 2023/24, a total of 2,470 mentoring relationships were supported, with 1,286 students taking part in group mentoring alone - a large increase from the 632 students in 2022/23. 124 volunteer mentors from across the alumni and partner community facilitated these group mentoring sessions, providing 2,382 hours of mentoring to 1,213 students who benefitted from mentoring for the first time.
This unique programme has already received national and international recognition, with the Group Mentoring pilots receiving a Westminster Learning and Teaching Excellence Award from the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) in 2022, as well as a Best of Europe Region Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the Student Engagement category in 2024.
This year’s THE Awards ceremony will take place on 13 November at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Scotland, where the winners will be announced.
Linsey Cole, Director of Business Engagement and Graduate Futures at the University, said: “We are delighted to secure this external recognition for our Future Ready Mentoring programmes. This reflects many years of successful collaboration between our colleagues, alumni and partners to support our students to develop the networks and confidence they need to succeed in their future. Thank you to all mentors who continue to support our students and the University to provide such a transformational opportunity.”
Mentoring Manager Zurria Qureshi, who has led the development of Future Ready Mentoring at Westminster, added: “Our group mentoring programmes have proven to be sector-leading and unique in their design. It’s an honour to be shortlisted for the THE Awards 2025 and huge congratulations go to the Mentoring Team for this achievement! We are so proud to work with so many leading industry experts who volunteer their time to help Westminster mentees find their passion and navigate the first steps in their careers."
Jake Barnes, who recently graduated in Computer Systems Engineering, said: “The programme is an excellent way to develop skills vital for the workplace. Nothing is more valuable than talking to an expert in the field in person, and it's tough to get this kind of knowledge through online research, which is why it's been very beneficial.”
The Future Ready Mentoring programmes directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the Future Ready Mentoring programmes at the University of Westminster and how to become a mentor.
