Mentors’ Bar & Corner: The new group mentoring concept for the doctoral and early-stage researchers at the University of Vaasa

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme within the framework of the ERA TALENT Project funded under grant agreement No 101103476.

As one of our Career Transition of Early-Stage Researchers (CARE) project’s actions, we have developed the new Mentors’ Bar & Corner group mentoring concept to support the doctoral students and early-stage researchers’ employment and connections also beyond academia after their graduation. Our aim is to provide information on the value of the doctoral degree also on sectors beyond academia and new insights into different career paths already taken by the university’s own doctoral alumni and doctorates who have had an interesting career. Within the concept we will arrange two types of different events throughout the academic year to support doctoral students and researchers’ career planning, well-being and both internal and external networking.

Mentors’ Bar is a live event organized twice during the academic year at the University of Vaasa’s premises, where we invite doctorates with interesting positions and career paths outside academia as keynote speakers. The speakers will share stories of their own transition to sectors beyond academia after graduation and share tips regarding the process and competences needed in their own positions. After the keynote, participants are encouraged to ask questions, discuss and network. The event takes place in the late afternoon and refreshments are served to those attending.

Mentors’ Corner is a live event organized several times during the academic year online in Teams. By also offering events online, we enable low threshold participation and attendance also from abroad. However, Mentors’ Corners function more as agile workshops, where the focus is on more detailed subjects around the theme of transitioning to work on sectors beyond academia. In addition to the possible keynote speakers mentioned above, we also invite other potential specialists with a more specific point of view to visit. After the keynote there will be time for discussion and questions.

Both events are conducted in English and recorded. Registration is also required.

Upcoming events

Launch event: Mentors’ Bar with Petri Kärki on 21, May at 15:00

The new concept and the Career Development Toolkit will be launched on May 21, at 15:00 in Nissi auditorium. The event is opened by the Vice-Rector of Research Mika Grundström and as the first visiting keynote speaker, we welcome the university’s own doctoral Alumni Petri Kärki who now is responsible for Hitachi Energy’s energy systems and storage sales in Europe. After the keynote, there will be time for questions, discussion and networking. Refreshments will be served at the beginning of the event.

Alongside the new mentoring concept, we will also publish the Career Development Toolkit that contains information, tools and self-study materials for career planning, recognizing your own competences, mentoring and network building.

Registration for the event is open in the University’s intranet Messi.

Mentors’ Corner: Overview of Important Working Life Skills on 4 June, at 15:00

In the first Mentors’ Corner event we get to hear an interesting keynote by Nina Nässlin from the university’s career services on the theme “Overview of important working life skills”. After the keynote there will be time for questions and discussion. In the event we will also present the new Career Development Toolkit that contains information, tools and self-study materials for career planning, recognizing your own competences, mentoring and network building.

Registration for the event is open in the University’s intranet Messi.

The first Mentors’ Bar & Corner events are arranged as a part of Career Transition of Early-Stage Researchers (CARE) project, funded by the European Commission’s The ERA TALENT Project. For additional information about the CARE project, please visit: