Fraunhofer mentoring — support along the career path

The professional and personal development of our employees is of great importance to us. With the Fraunhofer “Step forward” career mentoring program, we want to strengthen knowledge exchange and pair committed, talented employees with an experienced mentor.

Fraunhofer mentoring is a support program for individual career planning. The aim is to identify — and systematically broaden — the possibilities for the individual’s next career step. Mentees are guided by experienced professionals who act as sparring partners and provide constructive support throughout the entire process.

Participants are employees

• from scientific and non-scientific areas;
• who have at least four years’ professional experience at Fraunhofer;
• who want to progress their career; and
• who demonstrate a high level of commitment.

Mentoring:
An experienced specialist and/or manager (mentor) and a mentee meet at regular intervals to exchange ideas and discuss the mentee’s career progression with a view to fostering the mentee’s professional and personal development. The aim of this mentoring partnership is to pass on practical knowledge and broaden key skills. Both parties benefit from a successful exchange.

Workshops:
The two workshops “Standortbestimmung” (Taking stock) and “Potenzialcheck” (Checking of potential) are used to identify the mentee’s current situation, their career aspirations and objectives, and their specific skill set. During the subsequent “Selbstmarketing – PR in eigener Sache” (Self-marketing — doing your own PR) training session, the participants develop strategies for communicating their own strengths and successes to others in a convincing way and for showcasing themselves accordingly.

Networking:
Networking is also a key aspect of mentoring: Mentees have the opportunity to make new contacts and expand their personal career network over time.