By the end of 2022, the first 10 editions of the programme have been evaluated. We would like to share the design of the programme and results achieved. The programme started in response to VU Amsterdam's participation in the Charter Talent to the Top. This Charter focuses on increasing the influx, advancement and retention of female talent in top positions. VU Amsterdam endorses the importance of gender balance at the top of the organisation and, since its participation in the Charter, has increased its percentage of female professors from 13.2% at the end of 2001 to 30% at the end of 2022. For 2025, VU Amsterdam has set a target of 35%. The mentorship programme provides talented scientists with individual guidance that supports this important goal.
Participants in the mentoring programme
That within the composition of scientific staff, women are in a disadvantaged position is already known. The need for greater equality and better gender balance within science stems from this. Yet at the time, VU Amsterdam chose the approach of not excluding anyone from the mentorship programme on the basis of gender. In practice, however, the majority of mentees are women (66%) while male mentees can also participate. A win-win situation given the equality principle.
So what does the programme entail?
In the mentorship programme, talented postdocs and assistant professors are paired with a professor or associate professor from another faculty, with whom they have five conversations over the course of a year about, among other things, their career strategy, personal effectiveness (prioritisation and time management), (personal) leadership and work-life balance. Participation in the programme is by nomination of the faculties. They take care of the selection of both mentees and mentors.
Mentees krijgen bij de start van het programma een workshop en een intakegesprek waarin ze hun leerdoelen formuleren. Mentoren vullen een profiel in waar ze aangeven waarin zij mentees kunnen begeleiden. Ook zij krijgen een workshop en daarnaast eens in de twee jaar supervisie aangeboden. De koppeling die vervolgens gemaakt wordt is altijd faculteit overstijgend en één van de belangrijke succesfactoren van het programma dat door de dienst HRMAM georganiseerd wordt.
Mentees receive a workshop and an intake interview at the start of the programme in which they formulate their learning goals. Mentors complete a profile in which they indicate what they can guide mentees in. They too are offered a workshop and supervision once every two years. The subsequent linking is always faculty-wide and one of the key success factors of the programme organised by the HR & Health, Safety and Environment department.
High ratings for the programme
The programme is rated almost equally by mentees and mentors; with an average of 4.1 by mentees and 4.2 by mentors (scale 1-5). Mentees experience support on the previously mentioned topics and experience the fact that the mentor comes from a different unit as refreshing and safe. Mentors enjoy sharing and guiding their experience and wisdom with the younger generation, gaining insights into the challenges mentees face from another unit, our organisation and science.
“There is so much to learn when you’re at the start of a career. There are so many unwritten rules. It’s hardly ever said, but gender still plays a role.” (Mentee)
“In general, it helped me a lot with guidance on finding my way in academia, negotiations with supervisors and issues of collaborations. Because my mentor is based in a different department, he could share helpful perspectives.” (Mentee)
“Bringing a fresh eye to the goals of the mentee, and ways how to bring their ideas for their career to life.” (Mentor)
Outcome 10 editions of mentorship
A total of 302 mentees and 194 mentors participated in the 10 editions; about 30 couples per edition. The proportion of women among mentees is 66.2%, while the proportion of men is 43.8%. The majority of mentors are men 71.1%. A striking detail is that of the 17 of the 194 mentors, who have previously participated in the programme as a mentee themselves, 11 are women. This shows the perceived importance and enthusiasm among female participants for the programme; this is hopeful for growing participation of female mentors in the future.
Outflow figures, in the sense of change to a higher UFO profile, show little difference between male and female mentees. Proportionally, female mentees move on to the position of professor slightly more often and male mentees move on to associate professor positions slightly more often. Among mentees who left VU Amsterdam, however, relatively speaking, slightly more men move on to higher positions. In total, 140 of the 302 (46.3%) mentees progressed to a higher job profile within (107) or outside VU Amsterdam (33) from their time of participation until December 2022.
Over three-quarters of the 302 mentees (76%) were still working at VU Amsterdam at the end of 2022, of which (70% %) of the 102 male and 157 (80%) of the 200 female mentees. Slightly less than half of these mentees moved into a higher UFO job profile within VU Amsterdam: of the 71 male mentees participating, 34 (48%) and of the 157 female mentees, 73 (46% ) made a career move. As already indicated, proportionally female mentees moved on slightly more to the position of professor - 26% versus 20.6% - and male mentees moved on slightly more to associate professor positions 56% versus 59%. Possibly this difference is explained by the slightly larger share of assistant professors among female mentees (74%) compared to the share of assistant professors among men (66%): assistant professors form the largest group among participants with 71.2%.
Outside VU Amsterdam, 74 (24.5%) of the 302 mentees - 31 (30%) men and 43 (22%) women - found a job. Proportionally, therefore, slightly more male mentees left VU Amsterdam and, compared to women, slightly more moved on to higher positions outside VU Amsterdam, 48.4% versus 41.9%. Of the outflowers, 32 ended up at another university at home or abroad. Of the remaining 42, the majority went on to work in research-related organisations.
Conclusion
The mentoring programme has proved to be a valuable programme over the years. A programme in which mentees, mentors and faculty all participate with great enthusiasm. Cross-faculty matching creates connections and talented scientists experience support on their career path by their mentors who are further along in their scientific careers. The programme is not the only determining factor influencing the climb up the academic ladder, but very much a valuable support for young talented scientists by senior colleagues who know the ropes. Due to the good experiences with the programme, a similar programme aimed at business management professionals was launched in 2018. This programme is offered biannually and is also highly rated.
See appendix for a comprehensive overview of the data collected. (in Dutch)
Any comments on this article are welcome, please mail them to lidy.stassen@vu.nl.