For Isaah Alexy Mhlanga, an economist at the International Monetary Fund, having a mentor was a "life-changing experience".

As a recipient of an Investec bursary, he was eligible for mentoring through the body. So, between 2006 and 2009, he was part of IMF's mentorship programme, which he found so useful, it is "still continuing outside the prescribed period", he says. From the beginning, Isaah appreciated the rewards that mentoring had to offer.

"Had it not been for mentorship, varsity life would have been different to what it was. My dreams, vision, goals and attitude changed completely, and for the better, because of mentorship, and because of (my mentor). It changed me more than 40%."

Isaah started the process with no preconceptions of what it would entail. "I never had any expectations. I had no experience of mentoring and everything was new to me."

When it works, mentoring should force pupils to question their assumptions and look at their lives from unexpected angles, and this was the case for Isaah.

"It was an eye opener for me. The exposure I got, in terms of life, studying and business, was phenomenal. It made me think differently about life, and it made me update my goals and dreams completely."

The success of mentoring hinges on the relationship between the mentor and pupil, and Isaah praises his. "My mentor, Dr Angela du Plessis, was, and still is, exceptional," he says.

And now, as a mentor, he is giving back by helping other young people and teaching them to dream big. "Life is broader than we are normally exposed to and there is no dream so big that it cannot be accomplished."

Not that he believes everything comes easy.

"One must be prepared to feel pain for things one really wants to achieve."

You cannot put a price on a process that teaches young people to believe in themselves and gives them the tools to achieve their dreams.

Thanks to mentoring, Isaah is clear about the direction in which he is headed.