Last modified: October 28, 2022

Become a Mentor

Mentoring students is a great way to give back to the community. Fortunately, the Provo CAPS program attracts dozens of students who are eager to learn, to fail, to try again, and to succeed.

The success of the CAPS program heavily depends on the wealth of wisdom and resources that volunteer mentors provide to CAPS students. Mentoring is at the heart of the CAPS experience. Being a mentor typically involves spending time with Provo CAPS students—from just an hour a week to many hours per month. Mentors assist Provo CAPS instructors by providing advice and direction for students in the fields of Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, Digital Design and Software Development, Engineering and Industrial Design, and Medicine and Health Science. The level of involvement can vary depending on student needs and mentor availability.

We do not “grade” the mentoring process, but we do ask that students set up at least one initial face-to-face meeting with their mentor early in the semester, and a minimum of one more face-to-face meeting by the last month of the term. It is certainly our hope that students will take full advantage of a mentor’s willingness to share their wisdom and time, and be able to meet or communicate by email more frequently. The students who have benefited the most from your mentoring relationship are the ones who meet regularly with mentors and ask questions regarding their business and project plans, career explorations, and other life choices they are making right now.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor or to learn more about the Provo CAPS mentoring program, contact Jan Jardine at janj@provo.edu.

Additionally, many businesses and organizations may have projects suitable for Provo CAPS students.

Provide A Project

Relevance is central to the CAPS learning model. Our students solve real problems with real tools (used by real professionals), being mentored by real employers, leading to real contributions in the professional arena. To support that learning model, we are always looking for challenging projects that will train our students in key skills for employability.

Provo CAPS students complete projects for client companies under the supervision of their instructor with support and guidance from professional mentors. Client companies for whom projects are supplied are asked to be active participants. At a minimum, clients will participate in a project kickoff meeting with the student team, bi-monthly check-ins (regarding progress, reflections and adjustments), and a final presentation meeting.

Project partners/clients benefit by outsourcing work to local students at no cost while receiving thoughtful solutions from students and mentors. Additionally, CAPS partners receive tremendous exposure to their businesses and places of work.

Projects Ideas

Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship

• Business plan development and analysis (start up)
• Brand assessment and development (including logo development, content creation, SWOT analysis, marketing campaign, etc.)
• Social media strategies (including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other relevant platforms)
• Budget analysis and financial consulting
• Product launch and identification (target market, demographics, e-commerce, etc)

Digital Design and Software Development

• Graphic design and development
• Mobile device applications (including design and functionality)
• Website design and development
• Software application development
• Video production and editing 

Engineering and Industrial Design

• Design solutions for manufacturing and production
• Computer aided design strategies and layout
• Civil engineering (including mapping, road design, airport planning, etc.)
• Robotics and 3D modeling
• Architecture 

Medicine and Health

• Hospital management and development solutions
• Health and wellness strategies
• Device development and applications
• Public awareness campaigns