Prospela is an award-winning EdTech start-up and social enterprise that exists to give underserved young people all the benefits of the professional networks they typically don’t have access to yet so badly need. The resource connects students with mentors from the world of work. Through a data-driven online experience, students get access (for free) to: shared knowledge from real employees, new opportunities (such as jobs in out-of-reach industries), building of long-lasting relationships, confidence building and support, and upskilling opportunities with the ability to raise their profile in the right circles.
Prospela: E-mentoring
Abstract
Resource overview
Website: Prospela
Careers Leaders in schools can set up a programme on Prospela and invite their students using a unique code and landing page, built by Prospela.
Students (typically aged 15-18) are guided through the sign-up process and share interesting snippets about life goals and interests, which are later used in the mentoring matching process. Mentees complete their online training - not just to help them learn about online safety, but to also get the most out of their mentoring conversations.
Prospela uses a combination of algorithmic and human touch to find a unique match for each student, introduces them personally in a real-time text chat in Prospela’s safeguarded online platform and provides continuous live support to help mentees and mentors continue to build on their relationship.
Students also benefit from being able to ask questions to the entire Prospela network - enjoying quick insider insights from a huge variety of real employees to complement their 1:1 mentoring match.
Many students return to their conversation’s years later (like in real life, Prospela keeps mentoring relationships open, giving mentees the asset of a lasting network), gain references to use in job applications and many also receive work experience and job offers through their mentors.
Description of technology
The custom-built e-mentoring platform includes real-time chat, live feed of Q&A with real employees, user profiles with references from mentors, live dashboards for programme managers, and algorithmic and human tools to support the Prospela matching process, and platform safeguarding.
How the resource makes career guidance more effective, efficient and/or equitable for students
As Prospela’s co-founders experienced personally, students from underserved backgrounds suffer a ‘network disadvantage’. With recent research in the US showing that 80% of people looking for work make use of personal contacts, it’s no surprise that some of the UK’s top professions see the great majority of roles going to those from affluent backgrounds.
Building networks is key (Granovetter 1973) yet a lack of resources mean schools and employer youth career initiatives focus on “what” students know, leaving “who” students know to chance.
Prospela helps young people tackle this network disadvantage, by giving state-school students and those that are part of targeted diversity programmes access to hard-to-reach professionals, but by helping students get further along the network building lifecycle than other career programmes allow for. Students are able to build genuine lasting assets through the Prospela platform (relationships, job references, community, Q&A, etc.) and are not just introduced to their mentors and left to it - they are actively supported in maintaining this new and expanding network, helping them improve their life chances and get their foot in the door to - and thrive within - previously out-of-reach places. In addition, equity is supported by allowing students to connect with mentors outside of their geographic area.
Challenges or potential barriers to use
Our Digital literacy, internet access required, and English-language only.
The resource is free of costs to practitioners.
Support for users
Users do not require support to use the resource.
Additional details
This resource has been endorsed by a school in the United Kingdom and details have been shared with the OECD.
Disclaimer: This content is provided by the submitting organisation.
