The Centre for Plant Health Biotechnology (CPHB) and Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP) introduced a student mentorship programme in 2005. The focus of this programme was to prepare undergraduate students for their postgraduate studies, while also exposing these students to plant health. This program continued in a new form in 2024, and on 25 October a cohort of 18 mentees celebrated the end of the current mentorship year. Each mentee received a certificate, a unique t-shirt, and some pizza to celebrate another successful year of this programme. They had entered the programme in April this year and were paired with their mentors at a ‘Meet and Greet’ function on 8 April.

Second- and third-year students from the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, as well as from the Department of Plant and Soil Science, who have the potential to follow long-term careers in science, are specifically targeted. They are mentored by postgraduate students in the CPHB and are exposed to a strong culture of science. The Mentorship programme promotes postgraduate studies among its mentees and allows the student to become better informed about what a career in science can offer. Finally, the mentorship programme is also beneficial to postgraduate students, where mentoring is a crucial part of the learning experience and remains a key element of any career in science or research.