Tech + human: the future of internal mentorship programmes

We could all do with some guidance every now and then. Even successful business leaders and top CEOs need support, encouragement, and pointers on how to do better, where to go next, and which path is best to follow. Having a trusted advisor that you can turn to is paramount if you want to grow and flourish in your career and within your chosen sector.

Back in the day, you just had to get on with it as best you could – but that’s not the attitude within the workplace in 2026. There’s more openness to thriving… with a little bit of help from your friends.

Mentorship programmes matter nowadays as it’s where technology and the human element come together to drive retention, nurture talent, and future-proof the workforce. Rapid change in the workplace, due to the increasing influence of AI, the rise in hybrid working, and the competitive nature of securing a new role, means that running mentorship programmes is a vital tool for the workforce. It’s not just seen as a bonus anymore.

Let’s look at why mentorship programmes should be very much part of the working landscape.

A recent study into workplace mentoring and support from the Association of Business Mentors (ABM) showed that 70% of UK businesses reported a positive impact on the overall performance of employees due to coaching and mentoring programmes, with 61% saying that these programmes had driven up improvements in staff wellbeing. The same study revealed that “98% of HR leaders believed that accreditation of workplace mentoring and coaching programmes would add value and help improve standards.”

There’s increasing value being placed on mentorship as part of true career growth, with Santander’s Women Business Leaders’ Mentoring Programme finding that 65% of employees consider that having a mentor is vital for career development.

There is no universal adoption of mentoring programmes or schemes in the UK currently, unlike the US, where over 97% of Fortune 500 companies run formal mentoring schemes. And with a research white paper concluding that 94% of UK employees would remain with a company for longer if it invested more in their careers, this is certainly worth considering for businesses.

The last decade has seen a huge leap in organisations opting for and implementing mentoring programmes, due to an increased awareness of the benefits as well as to combat the variety of challenges faced by companies across the world.

If only there was a crystal ball available! While we might not have that to hand, we can predict some things, such as the fact that mentorship programmes in the UK are set to be driven by digital transformation, innovation, and inclusivity.

The same white paper found that, “7 out of 10 individuals, who received coaching, saw benefits such as improved work performance, relationships, and communication skills” and “9 in 10 workers with a mentor say they feel happier within their career.”

So let’s look at the latest trends in this area to gain some insights into the future of mentoring schemes.

1. Digital-first mentoring – in this digital age that we now live in, it’s not surprising that mentoring programmes will take on new digital forms to aid with learning and development. Global companies, such as Nissan, have already implemented digital mentoring programmes that have enhanced staff engagement and retention.
2. Innovation – the previously mentioned white paper, on the state of mentoring and coaching, looks at how mentoring is set to incorporate futuristic solutions, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), in order to improve learning outcomes. Coca Cola is a company where VR and AR have already increased learning retention by 15% and engagement by a staggering 80%.
3. Inclusivity – it’s predicted that mentoring will become more inclusive, with the focus on diversity, along with a cultural responsibility.
4. Career growth – these mentoring programmes will still play a vital role in career development, while simultaneously bridging any gap in skills, allowing leaders of the future to take a step up.
5. Business development – mentoring schemes look to provide clear career frameworks for small to medium-sized enterprises, along with the transfer of knowledge and strengthening of the work culture.
6. Leadership – integral to the development of leaders are mentoring and coaching, with the emphasis on sharp sector knowledge, strategic insights, and professional support.
7. Focus on younger workers – the up and coming workforce, in the shape of Gen Z, have quite a different attitude to work than their predecessors. Rather than keeping their heads down and just getting on with the job, Gen Z workers are savvy enough to only work for organisations that value both their work ethic and their mental health, covering the whole of their career development. The future of mentoring programmes needs to consider engaging with all generations of workers.

• Human-based value – being mentored leads to outcomes that people are invested in, such as career aspiration visibility, confidence and leadership capability, and psychological safety and belonging.
• How tech can enhance mentoring – AI and digital platforms, which include internal matching, coaching bots, and analytics, are commonly used to efficiently scale mentoring programmes.
• Tech that works – through intelligent matching, to improve the fit of programmes, dashboards that help track and motivate progress, and digital nudges that keep relationships active.

The problem today is that many businesses only have mentoring programmes for top talent, senior leaders, or those who ask! This means that entry-level workers, returners, under-represented groups, and career change workers are at a disadvantage.

With tech + human mentoring, it’s the technology that broadens access by matching mentors and mentees more easily and quickly, enabling virtual mentoring, and removing the reliance on networks. With human oversight, mentees feel more supported and matched to relevant mentoring programmes that take aspiration, confidence, and context into account, not just job titles. This means that all employees feel seen.

With only tech involved, there’s a risk that, while an algorithm will match on keywords, roles, and skills, it would miss any interpersonal chemistry, overlook unique learning styles, and ignore confidence levels of each individual. 

The combined human + tech advantage means that while technology narrows down smart options, the human side will validate and adjust matches to suit each member of the team, meaning employees are more likely to trust their mentor, remain engaged in that relationship, and experience meaningful growth, rather than just a tick-box exercise.

In 2026, more than ever, there is a need for organisations to demonstrate social mobility and equality. Tech + human mentoring programmes support this by using data to spot who is and who isn’t accessing mentoring, with human oversight identifying bias and intervening where necessary. With this in place, workers will feel seen and feel supported based on their potential, and not how near they are to the top of the pile.

Being able to prove that mentoring programmes actually work is one of the biggest criticisms of them. This is where the tech part comes in, as it can gauge engagement levels, goal progression, staff retention, and skills development. Senior leaders, or those in charge of mentoring programmes, can then see that data is being interpreted responsibly and that mentoring isn’t just reduced to KPIs.

Traditionally, any mentoring in companies has been labour-intensive, difficult to keep consistent, and hard to explain to anything other than small cohorts. Here, tech takes care of the matching, scheduling, tracking, and reporting, while the human side is involved with the quality of relationships, learning. and intervention.

With an ongoing skills crisis, high replacement costs, and a rise in employee mobility, it’s tough to retain staff. Evidence shows that employees who feel the business has invested in them are more likely to stay. With human + tech involvement in mentoring programmes, visible career paths are developed, loyalty is maintained across team members, and data is used to identify any signs of disengagement early on.

Here are some real-life examples where mentoring programmes have worked within nationwide companies.

Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)

A structured mentoring programme, that lasted between nine and 12 months and supported HR professionals from under-represented backgrounds, had an outcome that saw 50% of participants promoted to senior roles. Also, 81% reported positive employment changes quickly and 78% had increased confidence, showing that targeted mentoring boosts diversity in leadership.

Lloyds Bank

In partnership with Be the Business, Lloyds Bank ran a mentoring programme that linked SME leaders with business mentors. Three out of five SMEs saw measurable growth after taking part, and 95% of participants reported an increase in confidence when making decisions.

Greggs

The bakery chain launched a mentorship programme for junior managers, which improved retention rates by 24% in key operational areas, with staff citing mentorship as a key factor in their decision to stay, due it providing clear career progression.

At Careerminds, we see the future of mentoring programmes as not about deciding between humans and technology, but combining the best bits of both worlds.

• Use tech to save time and remove friction.
• Empower humans to oversee and do what they do best.
• Design programmes that can be scaled up, without losing the personalised element.

If your organisation wants to learn more about career path frameworks and how we can help your business to thrive, contact us today.