Diegesis, a tech consultancy firm, has partnered with STEM Returners on a new programme to help tech professionals return to work following a career break.
The 12-week placement programme will be based at Diegesis’ HQ in Wimbledon, London, and will include Project Manager and Software Engineer roles. The programme is open to anyone on a career break.
Research from STEM Returners (STEM Returners Index) has found that many people face challenges when returning to work following a career break, with recruitment bias against gender, age and race, shown to be the main barrier to entry. For example, nearly a quarter (24%) of women feel they have personally experienced bias in recruitment processes due to their gender compared to nine per cent of men.
STEM Returners’ programmes aim 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 in work.
STEM Returners, based in Hampshire, will source the candidates for the Diegesis programme 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.
Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, said: “We are very proud to be entering this new partnership with Diegesis to return highly skilled people back into the industry they love. There is a well-known skills shortage across the tech industry, but despite a clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break are often overlooked. Only by working together will we make vital changes in recruitment practices to help those who are finding it challenging to return to the sector and improve diversity and inclusion.”
Etienne Avisse-Brown, Diegesis Project Team Leader, said: “At Diegesis, we highly value the diversity of knowledge, skills and experience that our people bring with them. We have always looked for people interested in growing skills and building a broad band of knowledge across the horizons of tech, rather than candidates with a more ‘traditional’ background in engineering. We are excited to begin a new programme with STEM returners. We feel strongly that the depth of experience and breadth of competencies they can offer is of incredible value in this industry.”
Since STEM Returners first launched in 2017, more than 500 candidates have joined programmes across the UK. To view STEM Returners’ opportunities, visit https://www.stemreturners.com/placements/.