At the closing event, 24-year-old Meryem Bekmezci drew a positive balance. "I have gained a lot more experience, which has not only given me practical insights, but has also eased my personal fears and strengthened me." As a graduate of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, it was important for her to define her own career-related goals more clearly and to constructively tackle her fears of taking on responsibility.
"She has clearly succeeded in this," summarizes Sabine Weber, who has been a mentor to Meryem Bekmezci as Director Global Project Purchasing at Rheinmetall AG for the past six months. "At the beginning of our collaboration, Meryem couldn't imagine how to build a professional career that was challenging and time-consuming without losing herself in the process. I showed her ways to achieve a healthy balance." In addition to her own profile analysis, topics such as self-marketing and self-reflection were also on the agenda.
"This is exactly what the mentoring program is all about," said Prof. Ralf Kampker, who developed the program in the Faculty of Industrial Engineering, and the HSNR's Equal Opportunities Officer, Drin. Sandra Laumen, join in. "The format is intended to offer young female graduates a safe space to leave their comfort zone and discover new strengths in themselves."
The success of the program is also evident in the fact that it is now also available for other Faculties of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science as well as Chemistry and Health Care.
Following the degree of the mentoring program, Kirsten Wittke-Lemm, Managing Director of Unternehmerschaft Niederrhein, also sees the goals fulfilled - from which the economy in the region should now benefit. "As an employers' association, we see supporting young women in developing their professional identity as an investment in the future. The working world of tomorrow will benefit from supporting young women today. In times of an acute shortage of skilled workers, it is more important to us than ever to make the best possible use of the potential of young women. And I see our ambitious mint-affine mentees at the forefront of this!"
