CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research

01/15/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/15/2025 04:04

Sign up for the 2025 Mentoring@CERN programme

Following the success of last year's pilot round, the LHC Early Career Mentoring Committee and CERN's Women in Technology network are thrilled to announce the continuation of the Mentoring@CERN programme in 2025.

This unique initiative aims to foster professional development and support within the CERN community by connecting mentors and mentees across all disciplines and career levels.

A look back at 2024: A successful pilot round

In its inaugural pilot phase, Mentoring@CERN brought together 91 mentor-mentee pairs, spanning departments and disciplines across CERN. The programme enabled participants to form meaningful connections, share expertise and achieve their professional goals. Participants praised the programme for its personalised matching, its flexibility and the meaningful connections it fostered. Feedback from surveys showed that over 87% of responders found the experience to be beneficial for both professional and personal growth.

Who can participate?

If you are associated with CERN through a contract - whether as a staff member, fellow, student, user, PART or external contractor - you are eligible to take part.

The programme is open to everyone regardless of age, career level, gender or department. Mentors and mentees are carefully paired on a case-by-case basis to ensure personalised matches that meet individual goals and preferences.

Timeline for 2025

  • Information session: 30 January 2025
  • Learn about the programme, ask questions and discover how mentorship can enhance your career journey. https://indico.cern.ch/event/1497017/
  • Registration period: 1-28 February 2025
  • Submit your application to become a mentor, mentee or both. https://indico.cern.ch/event/1479276/
  • Matching process: March 2025
  • We will carefully review applications and announce matches by the end of March.
  • Kick-off meeting: Beginning of April 2025
  • This session will share mentoring best practices, templates and guidance to help you start your mentorship journey.
  • Mentoring round: April-December 2025
  • Once matched, mentors and mentees are free to set their own schedules and meeting frequencies.

Behind the scenes

Mentoring@CERN is a collaborative effort that brings together the expertise of two established programmes:

  • The WIT Mentoring programme, launched in 2018, which emphasised pairing mentors with female mentees.
  • The LHC Early Career Mentoring programme, initiated in 2020, which focused on connecting professionals across LHC experiments.

By merging these initiatives, we aim to make mentorship opportunities accessible to everyone in the CERN community.

For any questions or further information, attend our information session on 30 January 2025 or contact us at [email protected].