TRANSITION IN TRANSITION OUT (TITO): USING PEER MENTORING TO ASSIST GRADUATING STUDENTS TRANSITION BEYOND UNIVERSITY

Contemplating entry into the workforce can be a daunting process for students as they prepare to complete their undergraduate degree. Final year psychology students can find this process particularly challenging, given that many do not proceed into postgraduate psychology programs and are left to contemplate their options. It is clear that assisting students in this period of transition and improving their work preparedness skills is crucial. This project used a repeated-measures within-subject design to deliver a peer mentoring program across two Australian universities, one face-to-face (RMIT University) and one online (University of Southern Queensland). In the program, final year psychology students mentored first year students and, through this process, develop important work preparedness skills that can be used in their later transition into the workplace. This paper will focus on the impact of the program on the third year student experience, including their preparedness for life beyond their undergraduate degree. The paper will report on the pre-and post-test scores for third year students on measures exploring the five senses of success, learning approaches, preparedness for entry into the workforce, and perceptions of peer mentoring.