Just in time for Diversity Day, the mentoring programme for female Master's students at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering "Breaking the Glass Ceiling - early installation of professional networks for female engineers" is starting its second round. Those interested can apply until 30 June 2023.

Female role models in industry are still hard to find and even more difficult for female students to reach. This is where the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering comes in with the BreakING mentoring programme, which specifically networks female Master's students with experienced female managers. The structured programme teaches skills that support successful career entry and strategic career planning - above all, it brings female students together with women who have been holding their own in "typical" male industries for many years.

In discussions with their mentors, with other mentees and in the context of coaching sessions, BreakING participants have the opportunity to talk openly about topics that concern them, to exchange ideas with each other on an equal footing (peer mentoring) and at the same time to be supported by experts in specific areas and to advance their personal development. In addition, the participants meet other female managers at fireside evenings, from whose experiences they can additionally learn and benefit.

"I leave this programme with a bag filled to the brim with instructive experiences, a view of new professional possibilities, the ability to seize opportunities beyond one's own nose and with one or two professional tips at hand. These help me to face the challenges that a male-dominated industry brings with confidence," sums up one BreakING participant shortly before the end of the programme.

The mentors see the success of the programme, among other things, in the trusting and open interaction with each other. Mentor Bettina Hellenkamp, who worked for years as a journalist and press spokesperson in male-dominated companies, emphasises: "As a mentor, I recommend open-heartedly, give tips, formulate demands, sometimes question things and give encouragement. And I am surprised, challenged, asked and mirrored by the mentees. We search and learn together, which is great."

An application for the next BreakING run, starting in September 2023, is still possible until 30 June 2023. Click here for more information.

BreakING arose from an initiative of the decentralised equality of the faculty under the leadership of Dr.-Ing. Britta Schößer and is funded by the Lore Agnes Programme.