LSE Generate and OakNorth launch Certificate in Mentorship 

LSE Generate, the London School of Economics’ entrepreneurship department, is launching its Certificate in Mentorship programme, in collaboration with OakNorth, the UK-based fintech on a mission to empower the Missing Middle. Part of the wider Mentorpreneurship initiative launched in June 2021, the certificate looks to break new ground by providing formal training and recognition to aspiring mentors, through the knowledge and experience of LSE’s network. 

The programme will educate and empower participants by presenting them with twelve key questions that are evenly divided between three core modules. At each stage of the learning process, their knowledge and communication skills around each of these modules will be assessed and validated in individual meetings by eminent mentors from the LSE network, including OakNorth founders and LSE alumni, Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman. By learning to answer these questions with the help of specialised materials and content informed by leading research from across LSE Generate’s global network, trainees will develop and hone the tools necessary to effectively and confidently impart knowledge to others. 

Participants can undertake the programme remotely and at their own pace via a specially designed online platform for desktop, iOS and Android devices called getTWOit. Also an LSE alumni-founded venture, this platform matches mentors and trainees based on location, areas of interests, experience and knowledge required, with the mentors “validating” each step of the trainee’s journey. The platform delivers associated learning material designed by LSE Generate, monitors trainees’ progress, and allows them to connect and network with other members of the programme across the globe.

Trainees will also be invited to in-person workshops throughout the year to connect further with their mentors and fellow students, and dive deeper into the programme subject areas, utilising tools and mentoring methods developed from leading practitioners from across the LSE network.  

With 50% being paid to the mentors who validate the trainees’ progress, the programme aims to facilitate more dynamic models of mentorship, traditionally afforded by the time-rich, and encourage further community growth and opportunities within mentoring networks. Upon completion of the programme, graduates will join this elite community of mentors, with the opportunity to teach and assess future trainees as qualified ‘mentor trainers’.

Laura-Jane Silverman, Head of LSE Generate, said: “This new programme is emblematic of our wider Mentorpreneurship initiative in that it seeks to challenge and disrupt traditional methods of mentoring. By creating a ‘life-cycle’ model in which trainees are invited to become mentor trainers upon qualification, they are able to impart fresh and innovative approaches to both new students and their more experienced colleagues. This creates a learning and teaching environment that is constantly evolving and improving for the benefit of all involved.”

Rishi Khosla, co-founder of OakNorth and an LSE alumni, said: “The Certificate in Mentorship programme feels like the natural next step to achieving our desired outcomes with the Mentorpreneurship programme. We want to inspire students, alumni, and entrepreneurially spirited individuals from across the LSE network and beyond, to start and scale businesses that have a positive impact on society. Not only that, but we want to equip them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to mentor future generations of entrepreneurs who, in turn, will do the same. This creates a mentoring ecosystem in which ideas can be shared, developed and allowed to grow.”