The Co-op Program's mentoring model gets a major refresh - introducing peer-to-peer "Senior Buddy" matching and shifting alumni engagement to the moments where it matters most.
Just over ten years ago, the UNSW Co-op Program launched an Alumni Mentoring initiative with a simple ambition: connect first-year scholars with experienced industry professionals who could help them better understand industry expectations and feel ready for the workplace before their very first placement. A decade on, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive - scholars describing the guidance they received as invaluable, saying it gave them the confidence and clarity they needed to step into their first industry role. While for Alumni it was a chance to help the next generation coming through and give back to the Program that helped accelerate their careers.
Building on that success, and drawing on years of reflection and feedback from mentors and scholars, the Co-op team has evolved the model into a three-tier mentoring structure - one that puts the right support in front of scholars at the right time, and creates richer, more purposeful experiences for everyone involved.
The most significant change to the first-year experience is the introduction of the Senior Buddy Program, which launched last year for the 2025 cohort.
First-year Co-op scholars are matched with a final-year "Senior Buddy" - a peer who has recently walked the same path and can speak to the experience in an immediate, relatable way. A final-year student who completed their own industry placements just months ago remembers exactly what it felt like to navigate that first professional environment - making the conversations natural, accessible, and genuinely useful.
Kicking off with a Meet and Mingle event, Senior Buddies and first-year scholars come together to network, share experiences and discuss what to expect on placement. Matched Buddy pairs will then meet informally at least three times over the course of the term, with a focus on preparing scholars for their first Industry Training (IT) placement such as goal setting and creating what is their first professional CV.
Following the completion of their first industry placement, scholars enter the Alumni Mentoring program - an opportunity to connect one-on-one with a Co-op alumnus at a pivotal moment in their career thinking.
With IT1 fresh in mind, scholars reflect on their experience and set meaningful goals for what comes next. Alumni bring the broader perspective - helping scholars understand how to make the most of IT2 and IT3, and how to connect their early experiences to longer-term career ambitions.
Graduate recruitment is a significant moment in a Co-op scholar's university experience, and Co-op Alumni Grad Chats is designed to help Co-op scholars navigate this process with confidence by connecting them with alumni who can help them make their best first step after University.
Through a series of conversations in the lead-up to graduate recruitment season, scholars gain practical guidance and market insights from alumni who understand the realities of applications, interviews, and evaluating career opportunities. Sessions are designed to help scholars think strategically about how to leverage their diverse placement experiences and articulate the broad range of skills they have developed throughout the Co-op Program.
For alumni, it offers a focused and meaningful way to support the next generation of young professionals entering the industry at this pivotal stage of their career journey, and perhaps securing new talent in their teams.
What ties all three tiers together is a vision for a stronger, more connected Co-op community - one where scholars are supported by people who genuinely understand their context, and where every interaction is set up to be valuable for both sides at the most impactful time.
For any Co-op Alumni wanting to express interest in joining the Alumni Mentoring program or to find out more about the new Co-op mentoring model, please contact the Co-op Program office.