Mentoring Students on Professional Courses in Higher Education in the Workplace: New Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

This chapter reviews the changing role of the workplace mentor in three professions in England: nursing, social work and teaching, revealing the influence of government and professional regulatory bodies on mentors’ work. It also considers some of the collective opportunities and challenges faced by mentors across the three professions, especially with regard to professional knowledge development. This chapter then focuses on the role of the school-based mentor and the demands made on them in the increasingly school-led policy landscape of initial teacher education. Finally, this chapter deliberates the type of future-proof investments required on professional courses in higher education involving both mentors and tutors to achieve optimum professional learning experiences for pre-service students.