In the Oberbergischer Kreis, this is possible through the Competentia Competence Center in cooperation with the Municipal Integration Center of the Oberbergischer Kreis (KI).
Mentegra is a combination of the terms mentoring and integration. So far, the funding includes five Mentegra cycles, each lasting twelve months, until the end of 2027. The current cycle started in March 2026, featuring another Oberberg Tandem.
Competentia supports small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting a life-phase-oriented HR policy to attract women as skilled professionals and leaders. Larissa Busch strengthens the project on behalf of the Municipal Integration Center (KI): “Such commitment also strengthens a company’s own culture and credibility in the area of diversity,” she says.
Support for access, networks, and visibility in the workplace
The Lang AG in Lindlar, a service provider for professional video applications, is also convinced by the Mentegra project. The company's management sees these new impulses as concrete approaches for cooperation or developments within their own company. “This also makes it possible to actively contribute to the development of women and share experiences,” says Kamilla Wysocki, Director Operations at Lang AG. She accompanied Ukrainian Olha Leksau as a mentor within the Mentegra project on her journey into the German workforce. The two women met and exchanged ideas regularly last year: “Sometimes structured with specific goals, sometimes open, depending on what was currently relevant,” Kamilla Wysocki reports. “Particularly valuable was the combination of strategic discussions, such as career planning, and very practical everyday topics. This mentoring tandem significantly broadened my perspective, especially regarding the challenges refugee women face when entering the labor market.”
For Kamilla Wysocki, the greatest advantage of this 1:1 mentoring is its depth. “Sensitive topics can also be openly discussed here, whether it's uncertainty, career decisions, or personal hurdles,” she says.
Trained project planning engineer Olha Leksau is very grateful for this: during the previous cycle, from April 2025 to March 2026, the Ukrainian was accompanied and supported by the Mentegra program during her integration into Lang AG.
Olha Leksau has benefited enormously from Mentegra. “The beauty of the project is that it’s not just about classic career questions but often about very fundamental topics like orientation, self-confidence, and settling into a new environment,” she says. After arriving in Germany, she already worked as an energy consultant. “A profession I would like to continue pursuing,” she adds.
Kamilla Wysocki from Lang AG draws a positive conclusion and emphasizes the many benefits for companies in her interview. “Such commitment also strengthens a company’s own culture and credibility in the area of diversity,” she says.
Applications for the cycle starting in 2027 will be possible starting in fall 2026. Interested parties are welcome to contact the Municipal Integration Center of the Oberbergischer Kreis, Julius Zentz, Phone 02261 88-1247, and Larissa Busch, Phone 02261 88-1256.
Those who wish to apply directly as mentors or mentees should contact the project coordinator Kübra Yilmaz, or via email at kuebra.yilmaz@stadt-koeln.de and Phone 0152 57 97 22 10.
