ProCareer-Mentoring

ProCareer-Mentoring: Career Support for Students and Graduates With or Without Migration Background

Welcome to the Website of ProCareer-Mentoring!

ProCareer-Mentoring supports students who are either about to finish their studies or have already graduated. It addresses students and graduates of all disciplines with or without migration background who are considering to do their PhD or looking for a job outside the academia.

We want to ensure and enhance equal opportunities in access to academia and the labour market, so we are addressing students and graduates with migration background in particular who want to start with their professional career. Students and graduates without migration background are also welcome to join the programme. Both groups should be interested in intercultural exchange and dialogue.

Central focus of the programme is counselling, guidance and coaching of the students and graduates (mentees) given by a mentor (professor or senior researcher, professionals from the corporate sector and the civil service). Apart from mentoring there is also an additional programme that offers key competencies if needed and that also offers space for informal exchange. ProCareer-Mentoring helps graduates to build up their career by counselling und coaching them and also by strenghtening the competencies that they already have.

Aim of the project

ProCareer-Mentoring aims to support mainly female students and graduates with migration background in their career development. Depending on their career perspectives, the students get encouraged to contribute to the academia by using and developing their potential and capacity. Or they get support to integrate themselves into the non-academic labour market. The project addresses students with migration background on one hand and international students and graduates on the other. Female students without migration background are also invited to apply. Career support for female students with migration background, particulatly to do their PhD, and intercultural exchange – this combination is unique in Germany. The first group of ProCareer-Mentoring has been successfully carried out since November 2010.

What is Mentoring?

In mentoring, a professional with many years of working experience and leadership qualities acts as guide and coach to a mentee (female student or graduate) at the beginning of her career. The mentor supports the mentee with her/his professional and networking knowledge. The mentoring programme assists female students and graduates of all disciplines on their career path and it strengthens the potential that they already have. Also, it makes the diversity of the capabilities and competences visible, promotes interdisciplinarity and initiates intercultural exchange between people with and without migration background.

Who may apply?

▪ female students of all disciplines about complete their degree (Bachelor or Master)

▪ female graduates who are either considering to do their PhD or looking for a job appropriate to their qualifications outside the academia

▪ female students and graduates with or without migration background

▪ international female students and graduates

Measures to promote the mentees

▪ working in tandems, each mentee with a mentor

▪ systematic and individual counseling and support while beginning a PhD

▪ support to build networks and to establish contacts to potential employers

▪ imparting of key competencies (self-presentation, methodical competence, academic writing, inter alia, as required)

▪ organization of a qualification programme, such as networking meetings, workshops, colloquia, etc.

Who are the mentors?

▪ professors

▪ senior researchers

▪ executives from commercial enterprises of various branches

▪ professionals from the public sector, depending on the professional orientation of the mentees

Benefits for the mentors

You can

▪ further develop your gender and diversity competencies

▪ contribute to the structural consolidation of diversity (functionally, linguistically, socially and culturally)

▪ attract mentees as junior researchers to the university

▪ attract mentees as junior professional to your company/your establishment

Programme

▪ July 2011: selection of the participants

▪ November 2011: start of the programme and inaugural event

▪ November 2011- July 2012: work in tandems and in the qualification programme

▪ July 2012: closing event

Participation requirements

▪ willingness to active participation in the mentoring relationship

▪ attendance in the qualification programme

▪ interest in intercultural exchange

Application

▪ completed application form

▪ letter of application

▪ curriculum vitae

▪ letter of motivation

We are looking forward to your application!

For downloading the application form, as for further information, please visit the website of the project: http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/index.php?id=3617&L=1 .

The application deadline is 30 June 2011.

Please feel free to contact Dr. Aithal (project coordinator) or Dr. Lange (head of project) for further questions.

More information will follow soon.

You will find photos of the inauguration event of the project here.