EDF Renewables UK has formed a new partnership with STEM Returners to help engineers get back to work after a career break.
EDF Renewables UK is one of the UK’s leading renewable energy companies, specialising in wind power, solar, green hydrogen and battery storage technology. It has 36 operation wind farms, two battery sites and has an ambitious pipeline of projects.
The company will offer a STEM Returners programme at their sites in Durham or Edinburgh. Taking on candidates in the roles of facilities manager, civil engineer and electrical engineer. The fully paid placements act as a ‘returnship’, transferring experienced engineers back into industry following a career break, allowing them to be re-integrated into an inclusive environment.
STEM Returners, based in Hampshire, will source candidates for the programme. Annual research from STEM Returners (The STEM Returners Index) has revealed the challenges people face when trying to return to work, following a career break . Recruitment bias is shown to be the main barrier to entry.
Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners said:
“Working in this space for the last five years, we know just how difficult it is for people to overcome the career gap penalty and the impacts that this has on their career in STEM. We are very proud to be entering this new partnership with EDF Renewables UK, to return highly skilled people back into the industry they love. Only by partnering with industry leaders like EDF Renewables UK, will we make vital changes in STEM recruitment practices, to help those who are finding it challenging to return to the sector and improve diversity and inclusion.”
San Johal, Chief People Officer at EDF Renewables UK said:
“Our business is successful because everyone’s welcome here. We recognise that people’s careers follow different paths and a break can allow someone to learn new skills, gain new perspective and help reassess the path they were on. We look forward to welcoming the engineers onto their placements and look forward to seeing them thrive.”
There is a well-known skills shortage in the UK engineering industry, but despite a clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break are often overlooked.
The STEM Returners’ programme aims to eliminate barriers, by giving candidates real work experience and mentoring during their placement, as well as helping them to seamlessly adjust to life back in work.
Whilst the scheme helps solve the problem of sourcing talent in sectors that need it, it also has the added benefit of increasing diversity in a host organisation. STEM Returners’ population of experienced professionals attempting to return to work are 51% female and 38% from black and minority ethnic groups, compared to 10% female and 6% BME working in the STEM industry.
Successful candidates may be offered full-time positions at EDF Renewables UK upon the completion of their 12-week placement. Since STEM Returners launched in 2017, more than 250 STEM Returner candidates have joined programmes across the UK. To view STEM Returners availabilities, visit https://www.stemreturners.com/returner-placements/.