Mentoring Program
The idea of mentoring dates back to Ancient Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey the name of Odysseus’ best friend was Mentor, to whom he entrusted to care of his son Telemachus during his voyage to Troy. Mentor became responsible for the boy’s upbringing and education and was always there to advise him. According to this, the concept of mentoring was established as an important method of support from one generation to the next.
Concept
Mentoring has proven to be effective in politics, business, and at universities. Through this method a more experienced, usually older, person (mentor) advises a younger less experienced person (mentee) over a predetermined period of time. In our graduate school this period usually lasts from the first year of PhD until the end of the PhD. Outstanding individuals from industry and academia in Germany and abroad have agreed to serve as mentors for MAINZ. The mentor introduces the mentee to new networks and imparts informal information and experiences to the mentee. Much more then another PhD advisor, a mentor focuses on the mentee’s future career and life goals. In addition to the personal relationship between the mentor and the mentee, the mentee is offered seminars and workshops where he/she can acquire fundamental key qualifications and receive support for his/her doctoral thesis at regular intervals. Examples of these semianrs include: time management, project management, communication, etc.
Characteristics
Together with each PhD student of our program, our mentoring coach specifies individual mentoring needs. This helps to identify the right mentor (e.g. from academia or industry, male or female) to support each PhD student in strengthening or extending his/her skills. MAINZ financially supports its' PhD students to visit their mentors regularly during the course of the PhD.
Results
Our mentoring concept is very successful in opening new avenues for a career after completing the PhD degree. Some of our alumni have received strong support from their mentors in finding postdoctoral as well as industrial positions. External mentors provide advice on general aspects of training and research, they help to establish a personal scientific network, and support our PhD students in their career development.
Dates and Events
