Big challenges have been imposed on education sector which should pursue market development dynamics, because of the development aimed at innovations, business process digitalization, planning based on large amount of data analysis, using extended and virtual reality in business, value creating by means of 3D print, industrialization in building elements production. Civil engineering is affected by new topics such as healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle, which is also an obligation of educational institutions as well as employers to provide students with the appropriate support in development of professional competencies which are based on contemporary educational methods such as cooperative learning or learning through work, most often in a shape of a professional practice. For such learning style to be sustainable, it is necessary to strengthen mentoring capacities on faculties, as well as employer’s competencies and competencies of professional practice providers. Additional lifelong learning and professional training are a part of a mentor competence development by means of which students are provided with professional, motivational, and emotional consultation by mentors. Except for the comprehensive support provided throughout professional practice, it is necessary to shape, connect and achieve desirable learning outcomes defined by study programs. Throughout mentoring process, the mentors are enabled with a possibility to revise their own knowledge in practice, as well as to create new values for the employer and business surrounding while interacting with students. Knowledge dissemination and quality of the teaching content are enabled by the cooperation of institutions of higher education and the business community. Further formalization of the relationship between scientific and business community is required by this two-way knowledge acquisition. Research results with respect to mentoring in civil engineering as well as educating mentors and examples of how to shape mentoring tasks in traffic infrastructure will be presented in the paper.

professional practice; mentor; mentoring tasks