A Structured Approach to Mentoring Tertiary Level Entrepreneurship Students: A Literature Review

Abstract

The form, structure, and manner of mentorship engagement in industry and colleges have been presented in some literature as discreet, disparate, and sometimes ad hoc events. This paper sought to establish the dominant form, structure, and coherent approach to mentorship that would form the basis for adoption, with appropriate adaptation, for entrepreneurship training in tertiary colleges in Kenya. Specifically, this study sought to delineate specific functions of mentorship in the instruction of entrepreneurship students; examine the nature of engagement of mentor and mentee in the mentoring relationship within an instructional setting; and explore the relationship between mentorship and graduate entrepreneurship student business outcomes. The study was based on a desk review of literature covering key publications on mentoring and articles published in the last 40 years and available at libraries, the internet, and databases. The review has identified functions, forms and models, settings, resources, accountability structures, and outcomes that would persuade colleges in Kenya to adopt and modify to suit their specific situations to achieve effective mentorship results.