Mentoring works as a strategy for helping people and particularly disadvantaged groups of population such as the unemployed, young people or immigrants improve their professional opportunities and succeed in life. It helps give people the confidence, access to valuable resources, and skills they need to reach their potential. The article presents two out of four blended mentoring pilots conducted in the framework of the Lifelong Learning Project EMPIRE. The first considerations resulting from the pilot projects are: (1) The right mix of face-to-face and e-mentoring elements in addition to indirect communication varies from target group to target group; (2) The use of ICT tools appropriate to the goals of the pilot and its target groups increases the potential of mentoring; (3) the organisational structure needed to continuously support, motivate and follow the "blended mentoring couples" is key to promoting a fully successful Lifelong Guidance and learning experience; and (4) Blended mentoring is particularly effective in career development when combined with other professional development activities and tools such as internships or work placements. (Contains 3 figures.)