Professional Mentoring Programme

Launched for the first time in the 2020/2021 academic year, the BPW-USI  Professional Mentoring is a programme aimed at female Masters and PhD students at USI that offers targeted and individual professional counselling with the aim of supporting mentees in the stages of entering the world of work, providing support in facing challenges in the professional sphere and reconciling private and working life.

The professional mentoring programme is implemented by Business Professional Women Club Ticino in cooperation with the Equal Opportunities Service.

A selected group of female professionals (Mentors) belonging to the BPW network, on a voluntary basis, offer professional advice to USI Master's and PhD students (Mentees) on a one-to-one basis (Mentor/Mentee).

2024-2025 Edition

• Programme presentation meeting, Tuesday 8 October 2024 from 12.30 to 13.30 in room A31, Palazzo Rosso. The meeting is open to all students interested in the programme. Please register for the presentation meeting via the following link.
• The Professional Mentoring Programme 2024-2025 (December 2024-May 2025) accepts a limited number of female students and PhD students on the basis of a motivational letter and CV. To apply for the programme, please complete the following form: APPLY

Applications to participate in the programme remain open from 23 September until 4 November 2024.

What is Professional Mentoring:

Professional Mentoring consists of a fruitful exchange between two persons defined as:

• A professionally experienced person (Mentor, BPW member) and
• A professionally less experienced person (Mentee, USI Student).
• A mentee benefits from her mentor's experience for her own professional development. In turn, the mentor experiences the passing on of her knowledge and experience to the mentee as a personal enrichment.

Possible topics covered during a professional mentoring session;

• What are the first steps to take when starting a career?
• How best to prepare for the start of a career?
• How to move in a male-dominated working environment?
• How to negotiate one's salary conditions?
• How to reconcile family and professional commitments?

How professional Mentoring works:

• Mentoring lasts 6 months, with a frequency of meetings (virtual or in person) jointly established by mentor and mentee (usually 4-5 meetings).
• The mentoring programme is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time by either party, provided the organisers are informed.
• The mentoring process ends with the mentee completing a final report.