UEA

Stacy Gray graduated from the BA (Hons) Fine Art course in 2009 and joined the Mentoring for the Creative Industries scheme offered through the Evolve Norfolk project in December 2009.

Stacy was partnered with Jen Fox, a recent graduate from the Visual Studies course at NUCA who at the time was working for a community arts project delivering art related workshops, a field that Stacy is interested in pursuing a career. Together they worked on a series of objectives to help Stacy get a step closer to realising her ambition of teaching her own workshops and the possibility of continuing her education with a PGCE.

Stacy took the mentoring opportunity seriously and gave a lot of thought as to what she wanted to gain from it. She explained: "Firstly, knowing where you wish to take your mentorship is essential. For me, it turned out to be somewhat of a fact-finding venture. I was lucky that Jen invited me to her former place of work (Barrington Lodge) and I immediately saw that community art would be a good future career for me. I would not have had that insight, had I not entered the Mentorship Scheme."

Along with many other graduates, Stacy felt graduating during a recession could limit the opportunities available to her, particularly in the arts related job market and in the funding available to continue with solo projects. She explained: "With cuts to arts funding and the competition there is for the funding that is available, I realised that the best course of action for me at this time was to do some voluntary work to broaden my experience and skills, to prove to future employers and funding bodies that I am serious about the work I want to do and also to make some valuable contacts that may culminate in something useful in the future. Networking and making contacts in the creative sector is vital and hopefully I have made a good contact in my mentor that will help me in the future."

Keeping in regular contact with her mentor was also important to Stacy, finding time when juggling other part time work was not always easy but she kept in contact by email and they met face to face when possible and managed a last meeting to reflect on the mentoring and what had been achieved: "During our last link-up, Jen summarised my actions by telling me that: "I had been doing all the right things" and that I should continue doing them." She noted that I had been pretty industrious during the timescale of my mentorship, despite not achieving my rather ambitious goal of delivering my own, self-created community workshop within the time allocated. I found our meetings and email contact helped to crystallise the notion that my ideas were indeed realistic and achievable."

Stacy has found the mentoring experience to be a positive and rewarding experience and hopes that the scheme continues so other graduates get the opportunity to take part, as she commented: "A mentor can help in a variety of ways, including giving you a heads-up with regards to what experience and qualifications you'll need for your specific career plans. However, I think the Mentor will also gain from the experience, my mentor and I worked really well together and I believe we helped each other rather than just her helping me."

Now that the mentoring has officially ended, Stacy plans to keep in contact with Jen but also feels more confident and prepared to continue with her career plans. She concluded: "I did end the mentorship with some unanswered questions, but only ones that could be answered by me. For example, do I wish to offer workshops where a loosely set plan is to be followed or would I be happy in a situation where individuals required assistance with their own projects? What setting would I choose for my workshops – a workplace, community hall, or school? I definitely have a lot to think about for the future."

Since finishing on the mentoring scheme, Stacy has just completed a Sea Change Arts Management Course and volunteered at the 'Out There' Festival in Great Yarmouth held in September 2010 and is making plans to hold her first arts workshop.

Recent graduates have benefitted from valuable help and support starting their careers in the creative industries thanks to a mentoring scheme being offered by Norwich University College of the Arts (NUCA) through Project Evolve.

The scheme matches a new or recent graduate with a mentor who is already working in the field in which the graduate wishes to pursue a career. Each partnership lasts for a period of up to six months and aims to help new graduates to develop their creative skills and employment opportunities. The mentor can provide support by offering feedback on CVs, portfolios, interview techniques and how to make contacts within the industry, or how to start a business of their own.

Natsuki Otani graduated from NUCA in July 2009 with a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design (Illustration) and is one of fourteen new graduates taking part in the programme. She saw the mentoring partnership as a great opportunity to receive advice and guidance from a graduate already working in the industry: "As an international student, I was very concerned about starting my career in England. I was worried about the current state of the economy and my job prospects. I was looking for a mentor who understands the industry who could help me to get started."

Ian Caulkett graduated from NUCA in 2006 and is now working as a freelance creative as well as being a member of the Tiptoe Illustration Collective who have recently created work for advertising agencies AMV BBDO in London and at Mojo's new headquarters in Dubai. Ian remembers his graduation well and is why he volunteered to become a mentor: "I remember the feeling of stepping out into the Illustration industry and not really knowing where to go or what to do. I think the scheme is a great bridge between studies and employment, especially in the field of Illustration where you are not so much looking for a specific job, but looking to promote yourself and gain exposure, as essentially you will be working on your own. It's not always an easy adjustment."

Since meeting through the NUCA mentoring scheme, Natsuki has benefited from Ian's experience: "Ian has given me lots of great advice about contacting people and how to proceed with job offers, and how to approach a professional design agency, which was invaluable, without it I may have made some costly mistakes. He has helped me with my portfolio and creating an online portal for my work. Meeting someone like Ian has been a real confidence boost and I hope we will keep in touch after the mentoring has ended."

Although the mentoring is now entering the final stage, Ian intends to keep in contact with his mentee: "Natsuki does have a great talent which I am keen to see flourish. There may even be possibilities for future collaborations if the right projects come up."