ProMentes - Profession / Mentoring / Networks - exclusive & regional

ProMentes is the career-oriented
mentoring program of the University of Bremen

Who can apply?

• Students in the final phase of their studies
• graduates
• doctoral candidates

who are planning their professional career outside the university and would like to be advised and accompanied by an experienced manager / senior professionals, as well as

• Managers from companies and institutions in Bremen and the surrounding region who
  • want to meet committed and motivated junior staff
  • would like to share their experience and knowledge with the younger generation
  • are interested in skills and competencies taught at the university today
  • are open for exchange and discussion on issues surrounding developments in business, society and politics with future experts

Mentoring - what  does it mean?

The term “mentor” is known from Homer's epic poem Odyssey. The goddess Athena transformed herself into Mentor or Mentes, Odysseus' domestic friend, to advise and guide Telemachus, Odysseus' son, into maturity while his father went into battle.

Today, we understand a mentor to be a (professionally) experienced person who encourages and supports a less experienced person in their development, for example by

• listening
• giving feedback
• asking questions and facilitating reflection
• sharing their own experiences
• opening up networks
• providing insights into fields of work and work processes

Goals of the program

We would like to:

• support highly motivated students & graduates in their entry into professional life
• create a close connection between university students and companies in the region
• offer companies contact with highly qualified junior staff and insights into the content of the study programs and the skills and competencies taught at the university today
• promote the establishment and expansion of networks

Program schedule

• The program runs for ten months. It starts each year in September and ends in June
• During the program, the mentor-mentee tandems meet on average every four to six weeks for around two hours to discuss the mentee's topics
• Moderated discussion rounds and networking meetings on socio-political and career-related topics as well as company visits promote the exchange between junior and senior professionals

Stimmen aus dem Programm

„[...] hiermit muss ich Ihnen mitteilen, dass ich nicht am Neujahrstreffen teilnehmen kann. Der Grund ist jedoch ein Erfreulicher, denn ich habe am 15.1. meinen ersten Arbeitstag. Die Teilnahme am Mentoring-Programm war für mich also ein voller Erfolg, [...] deshalb möchte ich mich auch bei Ihnen herzlichst bedanken!" (Ein Mentee 2018 / 2019)

"... ich hatte mich schon länger bei Ihnen melden wollen, jetzt nutze ich kurz meine Frühstückspause dazu. Ich wollte mich einfach noch einmal ganz herzlich bei Ihnen bedanken, zum einen für Ihr tolles, wirklich hilfreiches Mentoring-Programm, durch die Teilnahme an welchem ich mich immer noch reich beschenkt fühle, aber auch für Ihr offenes Ohr...Ich bin seit Januar in einer unbefristeten Vollzeit-Anstellung als Marketing und Social Media Manager..." (eine ehemalige Mentee 2019)

„Ich schaue zurück und stelle fest: für mich war/ist die aktive Beteiligung am Mentoring-Programm eine tolle Bereicherung. Es macht sehr viel Spaß, was einerseits am Mentee  liegt, mit dem mir die Zusammenarbeit sehr viel Freude bereitet, andererseits jedoch gebührt Ihnen für die Organisation und Unterstützung ein herzlicher Dank und ein…