PRIME Cymru looking for new Volunteer Mentors

Employment charity PRIME Cymru is looking for new Volunteer Mentors to support people in Wales into work or to set up a business. 

Mentors give a few hours of their time each month to offer encouragement and guidance to those who need a hand to secure a job or get their business off the ground. 

Meetings can take place virtually or in-person. They give mentees the opportunity to explore ideas and discuss important decisions with someone who has ‘been there, done that’. 

PRIME Cymru is a charity set up in 2001 by HRH The Prince of Wales, in response to the many letters he was receiving from those aged over 50, who were facing great difficulty securing work because of their age.  

Since then, they have been dedicated to supporting older people in Wales into employment, self-employment, volunteering and training. 

Helping the over 50s back into economic activity has become a more pressing issue since the pandemic. The sharp rise in the number of older people who are out of work is fuelling inflation and lower incomes can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. 

Thanks to funding received from the People’s Postcode Lottery, PRIME Cymru are expanding their Mentoring Programme, through recruiting, training and supporting new mentors. 

Volunteer Mentors help to combat these issues by helping people to regain their confidence to re-enter the jobs market or finally set up the business they always dreamed about. 

Mentors can come from any type of career background and can be from anywhere in the world. PRIME Cymru Mentor, Russell Gibbon, lives in Mexico but wants to support people in Wales. 

Russell said: “The PRIME Cymru website says all people really want is someone to listen to them and I thought, I can do that!” 

“I’ve spent virtually 2 years of my life hiding under a rock being no use to anyone – it’s time I was useful again!” 

The mentoring process is very rewarding for both parties, with mentors benefitting from a feeling of personal fulfilment from helping others succeed and feeling valued as a role model. 

Volunteer Mentor, Julie Grabham, said: “Mentoring has given [my mentee] the confidence she needed to forge ahead with her business and seeing how she has flourished has given me huge satisfaction and pride.” 

All mentors receive free training, accredited by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs. They are also given access to Mentor Circle meetings – a space to exchange ideas and share experiences with other mentors. 

If you are a seasoned businessperson, or perhaps have overcome employment hurdles like redundancy in the past, you could become a mentor to support people who in the position you were once in. To find out more about PRIME Cymru’s Mentoring Programme, you can visit www.primecymru.co.uk/mentoring. If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Mentor, you can get in touch by calling 01550 721813 or email enquiries@primecymru.co.uk.