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| Country: | Germany |
| National Context: | Download |
| Region: | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Name of Organisation: | Bergische Universität Wuppertal |
| Main implementing organisation: | Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Equal Opportunities Office |
| Line of Business: | |
| Start Date: | 2007-10-01 |
| End Date: | Still Ongoing |
| All | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Employees | 2004 | 39.52 % |
| Number of Employees in Top Positions | 196 | 25.51 % |
| Students | 13025 | 54.83 % |
| Transferability of the initiative | Programme is considered to be transferable to another context |
| Type of initiative referring to strategic objectives | individual |
| structural | |
| awareness |
| Type of initiative, located on the stage of career progression of women scientists | Qualification (Higher Education) |
| Career entry | |
| Professional experience |
Short term objectives:
Long time objectives:
The initiative addresses the especially often problematic phases in scientific careers for women, for instance the transition from PhD to postdoc and ongoing levels. Further supervision (face-to-face and in groups) offers room for reflection on a personal level but also with regard to the institution (possible organisational barriers like all-time-availability, long working hours, problems with superiors etc.). A third focus lies on the seminars and offers dealing with reconciliation of family and work life.
The objectives were fully reached. The programme is accepted and well-known within the university. This can be shown by the results of the seminars organized and the participant attendance to date:
The feedback of former participants is very good. So far, 4 former participants have already reached the professorship level.
Apart from the seminar and participant numbers, there is a website offering information on the Science Career Center and its offers, terms and conditions etc.
The main motive for launching the initiative was the idea of supporting talented women in their career planning and career development in science and research. The idea for the SCC is based on the positive experiences with the supervision offered only for female scientists and researchers (see Implementation), combined with the overall aim of creating a gender equal environment at the university.
Equality measures already existed before implementing the initiative, but there was no initiative focussing directly on women scientists only.
Target groups of the initiative are:
SCC was developed out of a supervision offer for female scientists and researchers which has existed since 2002. This supervision (systemic-psychoanalytic supervision) is designed to accompany students/scientists during different processes (e.g., their doctorate) and seeks to enable them to extend their scope and ability of action.
In 2005 it was mandatorily agreed to implement a competence centre for women in science and research careers (university aims), in order to conceptualise an initiative according to the requirements and demands in the scientific professional field in higher education. A study on training demands conducted by the university centre for further education provided additional information.
2 people have been directly involved in the conceptualisation of the SCC for around 2 years. A competence team, with participants from further and continuing education in higher education plus trainers in these areas from the whole of Germany, was established and gathered for a round table on profile and concept development.
The qualification programme comprises three sections addressing the different phases of qualification (post graduation, doctoral thesis, post-doctorate), with training offers tailored to each phase. In addition, there are offers addressing the transition from one phase to the next. In sum, the modules also facilitate a process of formation of a common identity as female scientists, and common learning in many areas such as taking over and individually adapting roles etc. Seminars comprise coaching, supervision offers and trainings.
The offers of the SCC have been well accepted by the target groups. It took some time until the information and promotion of the offer worked well. An informal networking group, which consisted of former supervision group members, worked as multipliers for promotion in the beginning. Now the accompanying marketing of the SCC works well (brochures, posters, website).
The budget of the SCC is currently estimated at 45.000€ annually (27.000€ personnel costs for a 0.5 scientific employee and 18.000€ for qualification measures). The initiative is internally supervised by Dr. Christel Hornstein, and Anna Orlikowski is responsible for the day to day management.
Each seminar is evaluated by means of a questionnaire (which has been continually developed and specified) by participants and trainers. There is a yearly overall evaluation resulting in an internal annual report.
No barriers from an administrative or scientific side occurred. In the beginning, during the conceptualisation phase, the funding was not clear. But this problem was solved in 2007 since universities gained financial autonomy.
Lessons learned:
Further training in the SCC is part of the human resourcesand organisational development at the university. It contributes towards quality assurance and quality development at the institution as well as towards an increase of highly qualified women.
The program supports competences which are necessary for an ideal arrangement of women’s career paths in academia and offers a goal-oriented career and future planning.
The aim is to exploit the potential of available junior scientists, to enhance the number of women in professorship positions and to shape the generation change at universities in a gender equal manner in terms of Gender Mainstreaming.
The SCC will continue as organisational standard.
Single modules of the SCC programme have already been transferred to other institutions, for instance to the universities of Bochum, Dortmund, Duisburg/Essen and Siegen.
Transferred seminars have been: Supervision and the offer “Karriere-Kinder-Kompetenz2“. The latter one is designed for parents-to-be and young parents, who bring their small children to the seminar.
Gender equality is embedded in the mission statement of the university.
In March 2009 the “Gender concept of the University of Wuppertal” has been introduced, which includes four main areas of action:
1. Increasing the female share in top positions / Expansion of gender studies
2. Career and personnel development for junior researchers
3. Attracting women for male dominated degree courses / Increasing the share of male students in teacher education
4. Compatibility of study, profession and family.
The novelty and innovative character of this initiative is clearly the embedded supervision. In addition to the interdisciplinary direction, there are no single offers especially for engineers or scientists from humanities; all offers are open for scientists and researchers from all subjects which also supports an additional learning effect.
The initiative is internally evaluated, but a public report does not exist
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