TANDEM Mentoring Programs
Equal Opportunities by the Use of a Gender and Diversity-friendly Human Resources Development
RWTH Aachen University specifically aligns its overall strategy with equal opportunities. Within this framework, the TANDEM mentoring programs have been functioning as gender-equitable personnel and organizational development tools for many years: The university accompanies committed women students as well as highly qualified women doctoral candidates and postdocs on their way to future career positions, thus consciously counteracting the phenomenon of the "leaky pipeline" at the same time.
Women are increasingly participating in successful university graduations, yet their share is continuously decreasing with each further career and qualification level. This development is being countered by providing support in developing individually suitable career strategies, making women role models visible in a targeted manner, and facilitating access to support networks.
Mentoring | Training | Networking
Mentoring initially and in general terms refers to the commitment of an experienced person to a less experienced one. The interdisciplinary mentoring programs TANDEMstud, TANDEMdok and TANDEMplus at RWTH Aachen University take up this principle in an institutionalized and structured process, supplement it with elements of training and networking, and thus encourage young professionals to actively develop their career plans.
Within the framework of one-year cooperations, the so-called tandems, renowned mentors each accompany a mentee by passing on their own experience, opening up professional perspectives or discussing strategic steps. In addition, training courses designed for specific target groups serve to develop key interdisciplinary skills and, together with many other offerings, also contribute to the development of sustainable networking structures.
Mentors also benefit from the commitment to their respective mentee. This includes professional discussions, detailed insights into the current situation at universities, and deepening their own advisory skills. In addition, there will be the opportunity to participate in an introduction to the topics of communication and roles in the mentoring relationship as well as to exchange experiences with other mentors.
A former mentor:
I have found mentoring to be a very positive experience. The exchange with my mentee gave me the opportunity to look at science from her point of view. TANDEM is a successful concept for the structured support of young scientists.
The programs carried out at IGaD are based on the quality standards of the federal association Mentoring in der Wissenschaft Forum Mentoring e.V.
In addition to the intensive networking within the national association, there is also cooperation with the European mentoring network eument-net as well as the Network Mentoring NRW, the association of mentoring programs at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia.
At the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University, mentoring programs are offered specifically for physicians.