Supporting graduates in their early career transition
Welcome aboard, is a white-label service pattern and digital experience concept developed in collaboration with the mental health charity Mind. Designed specifically for young people transitioning from university into graduate or apprenticeship schemes, it serves as a template for companies to better integrate new recruits.
By applying Mind's mental well-being principles, the service helps facilitate a smoother adjustment into the professional working environment and proactively looking out for their mental wellbeing.
Insight
Uncovering the student to professional overwhelming transition period
The development of Welcome Aboard was informed by research presented at the Mind community centre in Newcastle, which highlighted how the overwhelming shift into professional life often triggers a "downward spiral" of anxiety and poor sleep hygiene.
The service specifically targets the emotional communication gap often found in men, providing a mentorship gateway that encourages individuals to off-load burdens rather than suppressing them.
By training managers to become volunteer mentors, the programme ensures that the support provided is grounded in professional mental health techniques that help graduates gain perspective and navigate the nerves of a new career.
User journey mapping
Blueprinting the "To Be" user journey
After analysing a range of onboarding experience interviews with graduates, we outlined the key pain-points with key moments of truth where opportunities for growth, development and coaching sit.
The "To-be" user journey was co-created with stakeholders in Mind, the corporate sector, and end users to refine the journey and establish the front and backstage systems.
Welcome aboard provides a supportive, multi-device onboarding experience
Mentor-led onboarding schemes like Welcome aboard can help increase retention
82%
Engagement in workplace when employees feel "welcomed and valued"
2.6x
Welcome Aboard is a generation-specific, white-label digital solution developed with Mind to support the "Youth Inc." transition from university to work. Recognising that this generation is mobile-first, the concept centres on a native app that integrates onboarding across a single platform to reduce the stress of fragmented corporate systems.
By downloading the app before their start date, recruits can meet their mentor early, settle nerves, and begin their professional journey with a human-centred foundation.
Key Features
Mood check-ins
Daily mood check-ins, a personalised to-do list, and direct mentor chat simplify the transition and facilitate early connection.
Trained mentors
Structured support involving Mind-trained mentors allows for earlier detection of issues and provides essential emotional "off-loading".
Company portal
A customisable company portal serving as a single source of truth for all essential professional information.
Conversation starters
Tools like "Conversation Starters" build immediate social bonds, creating a lifecycle where mentees eventually train to become mentors themselves.
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