The NUI Galway J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics recently launched the inaugural NUI Galway MBA Career & Professional Development Mentoring Programme. The programme is geared to provide MBA students with focused, individual, expert guidance on their career and professional development. "Our research of the top ranked international MBA programmes and survey of over 200 MBA Alumni students last year found that most MBA programmes do not focus sufficiently well on student career development and transfer of learning from the class to work" said Dr Alma McCarthy, MBA Programme Director at NUI Galway. The NUI Galway MBA Career & Professional Development Mentoring programme is designed to ensure MBA students are afforded the best opportunities possible to marry academic learning with professional practice. Pádraig Ó Céidigh, CEO of Aer Arann and Adjunct Professor in the School of Business & Economics, has been instrumental in the design, development and roll out of this initiative. He worked with the School, drawing on his extensive network of business and industry contacts, to generate a highly expert team of mentors. In total, the programme brings together 12 mentors from across a broad range of public and private sector organisations. The mentors have extensive national and international experience in business and industry and many are professionally qualified as career mentors and coaches. All the mentors have distinguished professional careers, some are NUI Galway graduates and many hold MBA qualifications themselves. Speaking at the official launch of the MBA Career Development Mentoring Programme, Dr Emer Mulligan, Head of the NUI Galway School of Business & Economics, said: "Our MBA is unique in having this offering and it is a real differentiating feature for the NUI Galway MBA programme. The calibre of the mentors is second to none and we are very lucky to have them on our doorstep and involved in this way with the School and University." Mentors can provide unique and valid external perspectives and insights into organisational life. The challenge for many MBA students is that they are so busy working and studying that they do not take sufficient time to reflect on their careers and make plans to achieve their goals. This programme will help students to respond to challenges in their careers and make their professional work lives easier. The mentoring programme will run for the duration of the two-year MBA programme. The MBA programme at NUI Galway is industry-led and globally-focused providing students with the knowledge, transferable skills and confidence required for innovative and effective management practice. ENDS