As part of the YUFE Pilot on Doctoral Learning at the University of Antwerp, the Antwerp Doctoral School has piloted a non-academic mentoring programme for doctoral researchers from September 2024 until June 2025.
The pilot of this non-academic mentoring programme aimed to foster career and personal development support for doctoral researchers.
Objectives
Mentoring is a voluntary learning relationship that offers personal development for the mentee.
(Quinn, J., Mentoring: progressing women's careers in Higher Education)
- An opportunity to learn new skills through an informal, trusting and feedback-friendly mentoring relationship;
- An opportunity to get an insight into a non-academic working environment and culture and develop a clearer view of a possible future career path;
- To provide a fresh perspective and guidance from a non-academic point of view;
- To facilitate organisational learning and networking.
Timeline
- Start trajectory: September 2024
- End trajectory: June 2025
- Closing event: September 2025
At the closing event, we got to hear inspiring testimonials, survey insights, and even live reflections from participants. One thing became crystal clear: mentoring is all about growth. Growth in perspective. Growth in confidence. Growth in understanding how academia connects with the wider world. Growth in career development. A heartfelt thank you to all mentors and mentees for your openness and curiosity – you made this pilot a success. - Evaluation: After the pilot phase, we will conduct a thorough evaluation. After gathering 'lessons learned', we will assess whether and how we can further implement this programme within the University of Antwerp.