SiXworks and STEM Returners has launched a new jobs programme designed to support digital technology professionals struggling to return to work after a career break.
Working with return-to-work specialists STEM Returners, SiXworks will host the returners programme at their site in Farnborough, Hampshire, while STEM Returners will source the candidates and provide career coaching and mentoring throughout the paid placement.
At the end of the programme, returners may be offered the opportunity to become permanent employees.
Research from STEM Returners has found that many people face challenges when returning to work following a career break, with recruitment bias against a lack of recent experience as well as gender, age and race being flagged as the main barriers to entry.
Half (51%) of respondents said a perceived lack of recent experience was deemed a barrier to employment, an increase from 38% in the 2023 Index. More than a quarter (26%) of women said they felt they have personally experienced bias in the recruitment process due to their gender compared to 8% of men.
STEM Returners aims to eliminate these barriers by giving candidates real work experience and mentoring during their placement, as well as supporting them to adjust to life back at work.
“We are very proud to enter this new partnership with SiXworks to return highly skilled people back into work and address the well-known skills shortage across the digital sector,” says Natalie Desty, director at STEM Returners.
“Despite a clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break are often overlooked. We must work together to make vital changes in recruitment practices and help those who find it challenging to return to the sector.”
