Engineers wanting to return to consulting in infrastructure after a career break are being given a boost following the launch of a new partnership between FSC Group and STEM Returners Australia. Its aim is to increase diversity and address the skills gap.
Through this partnership, STEM Returners Australia will provide its proven program to FSC Group, a multi-disciplinary infrastructure consultancy, providing skilled professionals the opportunity to re-start their engineering careers following a career break. The program is expected to benefit FSC Group by providing a diverse and qualified pool of talent to fill its roles in the Construction Industry.
FSC is a team of multi-disciplinary engineers who care deeply about doing great work, the people they work with and thinking creatively. Their clients rely on them for expert project management and technical advice to resolve difficult issues on complex projects. They’re focused on delivering exceptional outcomes and developing their people.
They have built a different kind of company that puts its people first, is entrepreneurial, cares about making a positive impact in the world and is driven to get better every day. They are very proud to be a WORK180 endorsed employer for all women, and FSC is a certified Great Place to Work, 11th in Australia in their category!
FSC will offer the STEM Returners program at their HQ in Richmond, where roles include Senior Project Engineers and Project Engineers.
STEM Returners Australia will source candidates for the program, which acts as a ‘returnship’, allowing candidates to be re-integrated into an inclusive environment upon their return to STEM careers. The structured placement program provides additional support which includes access to coaching and mentoring.
Marcail Roe, Director of STEM Returners Australia, said: “The construction sector faces an uphill task in filling the increasing number of vacant roles and diversity, but there is an untapped pool of professionals that could help the situation. Individuals that have taken a career break are often disregarded due to the gap on their CV. It is thought a career break results in a deterioration of skills, but in many cases, these individuals have kept up with their industry and are able to quickly refresh their abilities when they re-enter the workforce. Moreover, they have acquired new skills that would benefit the employer. We are incredibly pleased to be partnering with FSC Group to bring experienced Engineers back into the Construction industry. Only by partnering with companies like FSC Group can we make the necessary changes to the recruitment process that will assist those who are struggling to return to industry and fill the skills gap.”
Sara Yamabe, People & Operations Manager at FSC Group, said: “FSC is thrilled to announce our new partnership with STEM returners, targeting a new pool of talented people returning to the workforce. As a People First company, we are very excited about the potential candidates we will attract through this program, supporting the return to work of highly qualified and experienced candidates.”
STEM Returners assists highly qualified and experienced STEM professionals return after a career break by working with employers who share the common objective of increasing diversity in STEM and creating a sector where everyone feels valued, supported and included.
The STEM Returners program facilitates paid short-term employment placements for professionals returning to work after a career break. All candidates going through the program will also have the opportunity to restart their career in a permanent position at the end of the program.
Annual research from STEM Returners UK (The STEM Returners Index) has revealed the challenges people who have had career break face, when trying to return – recruitment bias being the main barrier to entry. 66% percent of STEM professionals on a career break said they are finding the process of attempting to return to work either difficult or very difficult and that nearly half (46%) of participants said they felt bias because of a lack of recent experience.
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 host organisations. STEM Returners Australia’s pool 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 currently working in industry.
Since STEM Returners Australia launched in 2020, just over 40 STEM Returner candidates have joined programs across Australia. To view STEM Returners Australia programs, visit Opportunities (Australia) – STEM Returners