Creative Access and the Booksellers Association are thrilled to launch their brand new mentoring programme for historically under-represented individuals, specifically for those aspiring to enter or progress into a career in bookselling.
This pilot mentoring scheme will aim to match 15 mentees with 15 mentors for six months of virtual mentoring. The programme aims to help demystify the world of bookselling, provide bookselling role models from under-represented communities and provide a professional development and learning opportunity for all participants.
Successful applicants to this mentoring programme will be mentored by booksellers working as part of the Booksellers Association. The programme is designed to be an equal partnership between mentors and mentees and mutually beneficial to both.
To help set new relationships for success, Creative Access will offer training at an initial Meet and Greet session to both mentors and mentees, as well as providing support and guidance through the mentoring partnerships.
The mentoring partnerships will run from July to December 2025 for six months of virtual mentoring, with a Meet and Greet launch session taking place on Tuesday 29th/Wednesday 30th July, and monthly virtual meetings thereafter.
Applicants to programme must be able to guarantee availability to the July launch session of the programme to participate in the scheme.