Sports-tech entertainment company FanDuel has formed a new partnership with STEM Returners to encourage more women to get into the gaming technology industry.
Known for its offering in fantasy sports teams and sports betting, FanDuel will offer a STEM Returners programme at their new Collaboration Hub in Edinburgh and roles include Software Developer, Senior Software Developer and Software Engineering Manager across different areas of the Engineering organisation. The programme is part of several initiatives aiming to enhance diversity and employee experience within the organisation.
STEM Returners, a leading organisation in the UK in returner programmes, will source candidates and provide them with additional support including advice, career coaching, and mentoring; ensuring applicants are ready and confident to return to work. Applicants will undertake a fully paid 12-week ‘returnship’ which allows candidates to be reintegrated into an inclusive work environment.
Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with an industry expert like FanDuel to support more women into the gaming industry.
“Under a third* of the workforce in the UK games industry are female. But the number of women playing games is rapidly rising so it makes absolute sense to ensure there is more female representation in the companies that make the games.
“Only by partnering with industry leaders like FanDuel, will we make vital changes in recruitment practices, to improve diversity and inclusion.”
Mathew Taylor, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, said: “As a company that delivers world-class products, we recognise diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental to success, and we must harness this power by creating a space that fosters success for individuals returning to the workforce.
“We believe we can help drive change not only in our talent pipelines but also the industry as a whole by investing in these partnerships and skilled individuals.
“This program is just one of the avenues that FanDuel is taking to address the under-representation of minority groups within the industry, and we are delighted to partner with STEM returners to support this initiative.”
Annual research from STEM Returners (The STEM Returners Index) shows the challenges people have when trying to return to an industry – recruitment bias being the main barrier to entry. Nearly a third (29%) of women said they feel they have personally experienced bias in recruitment processes due to their gender compared to 7% of men.
STEM Returners has recently launched the 2023 STEM Returners Index, to understand STEM professionals’ experiences of trying to re-enter the sector after a career break. The survey closes on 31 July and is available at https://online1.snapsurveys.com/STEM-Returners-Index-2023.
Since STEM Returners first launched in 2017, more than 400 STEM Returners candidates have joined programmes across the UK. To view STEM Returners opportunities, visit https://www.stemreturners.com/placements/