Mentoring for Business Engagement as Continuing Professional Development of University Academic Staff

This paper reports an innovative continuing professional development (CPD) project for academic staff in a UK university. The aim of the project is to develop academics' skills in relating to the business environment. The project has a number of strands, but the principal focus of this paper is upon a mentoring initiative. Much CPD in universities relates to teaching, research and administration. What makes the project reported here innovative is its focus on academics' relations with the world of business. The main sources used in this paper are interviews with the mentors and the answers to questions put to a focus group of those involved with business engagement. These questions explored the forms of business engagement, the reasons academics were involved with business, the qualities needed to be a "business engagement mentor" and the identification of good practice in mentoring in this field. The conclusion considers the outcomes of the project as a whole.