The Women’s Mentorship Programme, announced by the Minister for Equality on International Women’s Day in March, will be officially launched at an information evening at 6:00pm on Tuesday 25th September at the Garrison Library.

All those interested in participating in the mentorship programme, as a mentor or as a mentee, are encouraged to attend.

Research by the Ministry for Equality indicates that, just as in the rest of the world, a gender pay gap exists in Gibraltar, albeit our overall gender earnings gap is lower than the European average. As such, the Ministry of Equality has devised various strategies to address the gender pay gap. Closing the gender pay gap and promoting the advancement of women in the workplace will achieve a stronger economy and a fairer society.

Mentorship is a demonstrated, effective way to achieve meaningful career progression. With this in mind, a mentorship programme aimed at women has been devised by the Ministry of Equality as one of the strands of the strategy to address the gender pay gap.

"The objective of this Women’s Mentorship Programme is to educate, inspire, and empower women with the core values, attitudes and skills that are the foundation of quality leadership. We aim to enable mentees to observe, interact with, and learn from established professionals with the aim to close the gap by better positioning women to advance at work. The Ministry for Equality aims to establish a network of professionals at all levels, whose expertise spans the economic and social spectrum."

The Ministry for Equality has prepared a very structured programme. The pilot programme which will commence in October will run for 3 months and mentors are expected to commit to a minimum of 10 hours to each mentee. The Ministry for Equality will provide an induction workshop to all mentors in early October who will also be provided with a toolkit. Mentors and mentees will each receive a guidance booklet. The programme will be evaluated at the end of the 3 months in preparation for the next cycle in the new year.

All professionals who would like to make a voluntary contribution and are willing to share their knowledge and expertise are invited to register to become mentors.

"If you are a woman over 18 years of age, resident in Gibraltar and feel that you would benefit from having an experienced mentor we strongly encourage you to participate."

Minster Sacramento said: “I am delighted at the response we have received so far, and I invite all those in our community who can open doors to others to join the scheme as mentors and I also invite women willing to become part of a supportive and diverse community of learners to join as mentees. I look forward to welcoming women seeking networking and development opportunities to attend our information evening on Tuesday”.

Those interested in taking part in the Women’s Mentorship Programme can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The closing date for applications is 5th October.