An award-nominated, targeted initiative that creates access for our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic undergraduates to mentoring, paid internships, and professional development opportunities and resources.
Note: This page is for St Mary’s students interested in Be SMART; if you are a professional who has been approached as a potential mentor or internship provider interested in the programme, please email careers@stmarys.ac.uk.
How Be SMART can help you
“My mentor really showed me that you can build yourself up. You can, you can step up, you can actually advance.”
“She was so warm and welcoming…I can now already see the growth and development in myself as a business individual.”
“I understood what working in a large office would actually be like…it was a real eye-opener.”
- Testimonials from former Be SMART students.
Be SMART is an award-nominated initiative led by St Mary’s Careers team, in collaboration with WP Student Engagement. The programme is an incredible opportunity for students to build confidence and experience, and to meet and work with professionals in areas of work they are interested in.
- Professional workshops
- 1-2-1 mentoring with a professional from an industry you are interested in
- Paid internships
FAQs:
Be SMART is open to home (UK) undergraduate students at SMU who identify as either Black, Asian, or an ethnic minority.
You will participate in a series of professionalism workshops, preparing you for your career following graduation from the University. The workshops will enhance your leadership and professional skills, covering topics such as interview skills, application processes, and general confidence-building.
When you apply, you will be asked for information on different areas you would like to work in. We then do our best to find and pair you with a mentor with relevant experience. While we cannot always guarantee an exact match, we always receive positive feedback from students on their mentors, and we have many successful stories of students working with journalists, lawyers, and professionals in TV, finance, and sport, to name just a few! (We even have the occasional example of some students actually going on to secure work with their mentors or internship providers following the programme).
The careers team will support you with this from when you apply, working to secure a 30-hour internship in an industry of interest to you.
Because the programme is competitive, we do expect students to be committed to all three elements of the programme (workshops, mentoring, and internships). However, you can talk to a member of the team if you require flexibility here, and we will do our best to support you. Please note that in order to take part in the paid internship, you will need to attend an agreed number of professionalism workshops.