The art of matching
At Routes, we welcome two cohorts a year onto our flagship Mentoring Programme, with around 30 pairs a programme. That’s no mean feat! We review many applications for prospective mentors and mentees, and have in-depth team discussions to come to good mentoring pairs.
In a time of Artificial Intelligence, our matching is actually still fully done by humans: the Routes Mentoring Programme team. In this blog, they share a bit more about how our matches come to be. Plus, we share the reflections of an alumni mentee on her mentoring match. Together, they paint a picture of the art, skill and joys of finding a good match!
The Routes Mentoring Programme: learning together
The Routes Mentoring Programme is our flagship Mentoring Programme that has been with us since the start of Routes. In 2025, we will launch our 14th and 15th Mentoring Programme - which means by now we have already had over 550 women participate in the Programme. Over the years, the learning content of the Programme has developed over time, as have some of the delivery components. Nonetheless, its core values have stayed the same: a space for participants to meet in a way that prioritises welcome, shared learning and equal access.
Head of Programmes Wieke: ‘I joined Routes at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, weeks before the 4th Mentoring Programme was due to start. The Programme had always been delivered in person up until that point. However, we quickly realised that this wouldn’t be possible, so Routes’ co-founders Daisy and Leyla started sourcing laptops, to be able to send to mentees, to have their meetings on video calls. This was in the time that lots of us were still unfamiliar with that part of the digital world! It took many phone calls, to talk people through how to set up their laptop, download video conferencing tools and join meetings. But we managed to deliver that Programme fully online, with an online celebration event to top it off. It was a highlight for many, during those months of the first lockdown.’
Now, the Programme is delivered in a hybrid fashion, with opportunities for mentors and mentees to meet in-person, or to meet fully online if they prefer. Mentees continue to have access to tech provision, as well as travel money and other support. Mentors receive training and have access to a wider variety of resources too. In these ways, pairs are supported to focus on getting to know each other, and working on the mentoring goals.
In 2024, the Programme won the Ockenden International Prize, particularly highlighting the autonomy that is baked into the recruitment and design of the Programme.
“ At Routes, we craft our Mentoring Programmes a bit differently. It’s not a hierarchical relationship, as might be the case in a workplace where a senior colleague mentors someone more junior. Instead, we work from the starting point that people know their own situation, strengths and preferences best, and that mentor and mentee can learn from each other. We prioritise relationship-building in the early stages of the mentoring, so that the goal-work later on is more specific - and more joyful! This is also something we look at in the matching: who might work well together, both in terms of shared professional expertise as well as personal interests? We know we can learn best, when we feel relaxed and at ease, which is something we try to curate spaces for. ”
Getting to know the Routes matching approach
The Routes Mentoring Programme is now led by two Mentoring Programme Managers, who are responsible for participant recruitment and support. Routes Mentoring Programme Manager Shunn says: ‘I have recently joined Routes, as the second Mentoring Programme Manager. Together with Tamana, I am responsible for supporting each cohort of mentors and mentees - from the start of the Programme until the celebration event and beyond, with our alumni support.
‘During my first matching, what I noticed is the thought that has been given to each matching pair. You try to understand a lot about the individual’s goal, ambitions and who they are as a person too. Only then you start the matching process, putting a lot of care and as much details as you can.
What I liked most is the people-centred approach in our programme design. The mentoring programme is all about that and reflecting our values of joy, welcome and autonomy as well. The process almost feels like matchmaking: hoping the pair works well together and creates meaningful bonding beyond the programme, if they wish to stay in touch. After all, our social relationships and collective care are as important as our career and life goals - and an integral part to succeeding in our professional development.
When we match, it is not only the mechanical part of matching, but also the aesthetics of it. We can never predict what will happen between two people and in their lives, but I could see that over time, the team has built a strong understanding of what might work for different people on the Programme.’
Mentoring Programme Managers Shunn (left) & Tamana (right), working on their strengths mapping.
Supporting pairs, from start to finish
Routes Mentoring Programme Manager Tamana has been working with Routes since September 2022, after having been a mentee on the Mentoring Programme herself previously. Tamana says about our matching: ‘It really is a structured process that involves multiple stages, deep thinking and digital sticky notes. We have just onboarded our next cohort of mentees, for the start of their Programme in April. When I meet a mentee in person for the first time, their mentor might pop up in my head too. It’s so lovely to then think: ‘Oh, I think that is going to make a great mentoring match!’’
Of course, not all pairs are able to complete their time on the Programme together due to various reasons. Sometimes, there are circumstances that get in the way. Tamana says: ‘When an individual or pair has to end their mentoring early, we understand. We try to support them well too.’ Sometimes, people can join a later cohort, if something happens beyond their control that means they are unable to continue. Tamana: ‘We know that things can happen in people’s asylum procedures, for example, that take up a lot of time and headspace. However, we work closely with referral organisations to see if we can support people to continue on the Programme, if possible. The support goes both ways to a mentee and mentor as well.’
Tamana shared her reflection on the mentoring programme from the beginning to the final celebration: ‘At Routes, there’s something incredibly meaningful about seeing each mentoring pair’s journey from their first interview with the Routes team all the way to the celebration event and sometimes even beyond - full of excitement and curiosity, where growth, connection and achievement shine through.
This is one of the most rewarding parts of running the Mentoring Programme. As the manager of the programme we don’t just match people and step away, we walk alongside them. From those first conversations, through the ups and downs of the mentoring journey, to the final celebration, we see mentoring relationships deepen, goals evolve, and confidence grow.’
“It’s a reminder that mentoring is more than a structured programme, it’s a shared experience, rooted in care, autonomy and joy. And witnessing that transformation from start to finish, that’s at the heart of what we do!”
The art of matching
This blog wouldn’t be complete, without the words of one of our alumni participants. How do they experience the way Routes does matching?
Mentee Rozeta joined Routes for our 13th Mentoring Programme. She started in October 2024, to work together with her mentor Gigi Moller. Gigi is a Project Manager at Health Innovation East, and small business owner. This combination made us think she would make a good match for Rozeta, who wanted to roadmap her options.
Rozeta worked as a teacher back home and had studied languages at university. She was now at a crossroads, both in terms of country and career: she wanted to explore what is possible for her in the UK, and was considering a career switch, away from teaching towards requalification in healthcare. As Rozeta shared: ‘First of all, thank you Routes for giving me this opportunity to learn from you. It has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned lots of new things with the group and also with my mentor.’
Working with a pool of mentor and mentee applicants from a wide variety of industries, means we are able to ground our matching in people’s professional experience, sector-specific needs and learning goals. All of this information is collected at the stage of recruitment. In the words of Routes’ Head of Programmes Wieke: ‘We appreciate the time and energy that people put into their applications, so that we get to know them well and are able to find a match that meets their levels of experience and meeting preferences. We do our best to give people a good chance at having constructive meetings with a stranger, in ways that will hopefully turn out to be effective and enjoyable.’
“As we know, matching is a fine art. Matching for an individual means a lot such as learning, exploring and feeling comfortable for each other. My mentor was the perfect match for me! We stayed on the top of our goals, as we had objectives which we completed.”
Mentee Rozeta (with white scarf), at the end of the programme celebration event in January 2025.
Rozeta reflects on this, in her mentoring match: ‘We did not struggle to understand each other since we came from almost the same background, so I never felt bad or judged with my dear mentor. I’m beyond lucky for all the time and dedication that Gigi offered me. I have learned a lot from Gigi - and the most important is to keep pushing and never give up.’
Routes will launch its 14th Mentoring Programme in April. Are you interested in joining us for autumn 2025? Applications for our 15th Mentoring Programme are now open. Have a look on our website under ‘Mentoring with meaning’ to learn more.
Routes Mentoring Programme Team shared their reflection on matching experiences and how we do the matching of each pair at Routes with care, deep thoughts and joyful manner. Alumni mentee Rozeta also shared her reflections on how she felt about her match with her mentor.