London Intern 26 Mentoring Sessions Kick Off With Launch Event

Last week, Wiseup joined Kantar, Efficio, Hays, Chain IQ, Kyndryl and Blackbullion as we welcomed 45 students to Kantar’s office for the launch of London Intern 26.

Kicking off the official launch with this year’s mentoring split between a morning and afternoon session, the launch event brought together students from South Bank University Academy, Sedgehill Academy, Harris Westminster and St John’s Baptist School, along with their mentors from the aforementioned companies.

Now in its fourth year running with Wiseup’s mentoring facilitation, last week’s mentoring sessions represent an exciting, fresh chapter for London Intern 26.

In the lead up, the mentors had all received mentor training, covering all the core areas of supporting young people through curated mentoring sessions, including suggested exercises and safeguarding guidance at the mentor briefing workshops hosted by Wiseup Coach and Mentor – Stephen Chandler.

This year’s launch event kicked off with a welcome talk from Kantar who brought a sense of excitement and invigoration for the upcoming programme, which will feature:

• 2 more mentoring sessions during the work experience
• 5 days in the office
• The option for an additional post-work experience mentoring session, if needed

Each student has been assigned to a mentor from one of the six companies and will complete their work placement at their allocated company.

During the work experience week, the students will all get to take part in a specially curated schedule, comprising a mix of workshops, talks, shadowing, and their additional mentoring sessions.

London Intern 26’s Fourth Year

What stood out most was the immediate sense of connection in the room – a reminder that when given the right structure and support, these relationships can quickly become meaningful, impactful, and genuinely valued by both students and mentors alike.

With students from previous years landing themselves prestigious graduate scheme placements, we’re confident that the students this year will benefit just as much.

At the end of the session, we had the chance to interview a number of mentees, who shared how their mentors made them feel at ease and that no questions were off limits, leaving them feeling inspired and excited for what’s to come.

They also explained what they were most looking forward to about the rest of the programme, with answers including gaining new professional connections, improving their CVs and experiencing a real-world office over the coming weeks.