The Eastern Freeway – Burke to Tram Alliance (Eastern BTA) and STEM Returners Australia have formed a new partnership to help engineers return to work after a career break.
STEM Returners Australia will provide its proven returner program in Melbourne where the Eastern BTA is delivering the first stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades. This major overhaul of the Eastern Freeway will deliver new traffic management technology, express lanes and the city’s first dedicated express busway, and connect to the new 6.5km North East Link tunnels, fixing the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network.
Roles will be available across delivery disciplines STEM Returners Australia will source candidates for the program, which acts as a ‘returnship’, allowing people to be re-integrated into an inclusive environment upon their return to STEM careers.
Marcail Roe, Director of STEM Returners Australia, said: “We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership with the Eastern Freeway – Burke to Tram Alliance, opening doors for professionals to relaunch their careers within the dynamic construction industry. Together, we’re not just addressing the skills gap; we’re offering tangible solutions that empower individuals to make meaningful contributions to STEM’s future.”
Eastern BTA is a partnership between Major Road Projects Victoria, constructors Laing O’Rourke and Symal, and designers Arcadis and WSP.
Michael Learmonth, Alliance Manager, said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with STEM Returners and reducing the obstacles people encounter when resuming their careers. Our partnership aims to inspire more people to join our industry, providing fulfilling opportunities in construction that align with their career goals.”
Annual research from STEM Returners (The STEM Returners Index) shows the challenges people who have had career break face, when trying to return – recruitment bias being the main barrier to entry. It also shows women trying to return to industry are more likely to experience recruitment bias than men.
STEM Returners’ program aims to eliminate these barriers, by giving candidates real work experience and mentoring during their placement and helping them to seamlessly adjust to life back in work.
Whilst the scheme helps solve the challenge of sourcing talent in sectors that need it, it also has the added benefit of increasing diversity in a host organisation. STEM Returners Australia’s population of experienced professionals who are attempting to return to work are 64% female and 72% from ethnic minority groups, compared to 14% female and 9% from ethnic minority groups working in industry.
The fifth STEM Returners INDEX has just been launched to further understand STEM professionals’ experiences of trying to re-enter the sector after a career break.
The 2024 STEM Returners Index is open to all STEM professions who have had a gap in their career of any length, or who are attempting to return to work, or who have recently returned to work. The anonymous survey asks a range of questions including reasons for a career break and what challenges were faced when attempting to return to work. The results will enable STEM Returners to further understand the barriers people face, track the progress STEM industries are making, and shine a light on the change needed to create fair opportunities for all.
The 2024 STEM Returners Index will be open until 30 June 2024.
Since STEM Returners Australia launched in 2020, just over 60 STEM Returner candidates have joined programs across Australia. To view STEM Returners Australia programs, visit Opportunities (Australia) – STEM Returners