Mentorship is a vital component in nurturing Early Career Academics (ECAs) into confident, competent, and scholarly educators. However, only a small proportion of ECAs at UKZN currently benefit from structured mentoring. Many emerging academics struggle to navigate the complex landscape of academia and career progression. With an ageing professoriate, there is a pressing need to harness the expertise of senior academics and facilitate intergenerational knowledge transfer. Senior academics possess invaluable experience that, when shared, can shape the next generation of scholars. Moreover, aspiring academics at the Master's and Doctoral levels also require early mentorship to prepare them for academic roles and responsibilities.

This project aims to create an enabling environment for mentorship by pairing willing senior academics with ECAs and exposing them to targeted mentoring on teaching and learning, research, community engagement, and career development. The project will offer mentorship training using existing models and tools, providing opportunities for scholarly outputs, sharing, and networking.

This project aligns with UKZN’s Strategic Plan 2023–2032, particularly Goal 1: Excellent Teaching and Learning, which focuses on attracting high-potential students and developing them into globally aware professionals, leaders, and citizens. It also supports Goal 3: Excellent and High-Impact Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which positions UKZN as a globally ranked, research-intensive university that actively addresses major societal, economic, and environmental challenges.