The Ministry of Equality held a networking event to celebrate the success of the Women’s Mentorship Programme and to mark the end of the fourth cycle.

The Women’s Mentorship Programme was announced as a pilot programme on International Women’s Day 2018 and found support from Women in Business, the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses and the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. The first cycle was launched later that year and since then has seen over 200 participants over the course of 5 years and 4 different cycles. This includes a large number of mentors that have continued to offer their time and advice over the years.

The Women’s Mentorship Programme has enjoyed enthusiastic support from diverse sectors of the business community with a number of mentors taking part in all 4 cycles. The Programme and the support provided by mentors has allowed mentees to develop a range of professional and personal skills. Feedback provided by the mentees has shown that their participation in the Programme has consequently supported them and enabled them to aspire to and achieve new opportunities such as new professional positions or roles, promotions, further study, and a change of career.

The evening began with a short address by the Minister for Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, MP who reflected on the positive reports of the Women’s Mentorship Programme over the years. Minister Sacramento also thanked mentors for their generous and invaluable support. This was followed by a panel discussion with three mentees from the pilot cycle and fourth cycle.

Minister Sacramento said, ‘It’s been a real pleasure today to welcome participants from all four cycles of the Women’s Mentorship Programme. Since the start of the Programme in 2018 we have had frequent contact with many participants such as our repeat mentors, who have supported the Programme since its inception, participants who have taken part as both mentees and mentors and others who have taken part in more than one cycle. It is hugely gratifying to know that the Programme has helped so many participants and that in this way we have been able to add value to the participants’ personal and professional lives. There is always a positive buzz when we hold events for the Women’s Mentorship Programme and this is down to two factors – the generous support of mentors who are keen to ‘give back’ to the community and the enthusiastic desire of mentees to learn and to contribute positively to Gibraltar. The Women’s Mentorship Programme has been a resounding success and I am hugely indebted to everyone who has contributed to making it so.

The programme is also a success, in large measure, because of the work that has been undertaken by the Ministry of Equality in setting it up and support offered to mentors and mentees throughout. I thank them for their wonderful work, which has yielded these very positive results.’