THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: GRAPHIC AND MEDIA communications industries have a desperate need to attract talented young people amidst competition from a plethora of supposedly “sexier” industries. The print and publishing leaders of the future must therefore be identified and nurtured.

Such is the determination of René Carayol, that you get the feeling he would ensure this happened all by himself, if that were even slightly possible. Carayol is well known in media circles as a speaker, broadcaster, author, presenter and event host. He has sat on the boards of major corporate blue chips such as M&S and Pepsi, as well as IPC Media in publishing. He was made an MBE for services to the business community in 2004, and is a renowned guru on business leadership and culture around the world.

And right now, he says, he is “right behind the steering wheel” on a new student mentoring scheme (called Student Mentor) for students at the London College of Communication, initiated by the Digital Ad Lab.

The reasons for Carayol’s commitment are quite simple. He says: “Media communications desperately needs good people coming in. It’s a massively sexy industry that’s not marketed as such. When I entered it was tough and grim, but it’s sexy now and that has not been communicated. I was at a school last week and there are so many choices for the students compared to when I was leaving shool. There’s a war for talent, and I don’t think we have blown our trumpet.”

He has experienced much in the way of mentoring in his career, he says, whether it was through a formal arrangement or not, and both as the mentor and the mentee. He believes in it passionately – a personality trait that will be a must-have for anyone in the industry putting themselves forward as a mentor.

“I had four or five fantastic mentors before the term was coined,” he continues. “They were people that behaved in a way that I wanted to replicate. If you have the courage to ask, the results can be fantastic. But both sides must be passionate. It’s a love affair and we are the dating agency; it will only last if both people are passionate about it.”

In his time at IPC Media, Carayol established a mentoring scheme involving 50 of the company’s managers, and children at Deptford Green school. The administration of the scheme was a headache, but that scheme didn’t benefit from the software that this new scheme has – a collaborative software solution developed by Exact St8us, including video conference, chat, diary and many other tools to assist communication and planning. IPC’s mentoring scheme, started in 1996, is still going even without such sophisticated tools, and Carayol’s pride in its longevity is obvious, as he reveals that he celebrates the scheme’s anniversary every year with champagne.

And longevity is what the new Student Mentor scheme is aiming for, both in terms of its continuing success in pairing students with industry mentors, and in the deep friendships it hopes will be engendered, lasting long beyond seeing a student through to their first job. It is about showing, not telling; about leadership, not management, he stresses.

“In many respects it’s exciting,” says Carayol. “All of us have something to give and once, as a mentor, you see that, you change. Often the mentoring starts happening in your own time and continues long after you leave the organisation. That’s the real acid test. It becomes a partnership, not a chore, and you own it together.”

The profile of the Student Mentor scheme will continue to be raised through fund raising events (administration costs £5,000 per year), through industry talks and media coverage. Carayol says he feels “like the chief recruiter”. In time, it’s hoped that success stories will come out of the process to inspire more people in the industry to help out. Success will be simply seeing the scheme “live and live and live”, he says. There are no targets, just a desire for relationships that will last and that will inspire young hearts and minds. But people, volunteers, are needed to mentor.

“For all of us, there was a time when you did not quite believe in yourself and someone took the time out to believe in you,” Carayol concludes. “So, who are you believing in today?”