Calling South Wales schools:
Can you help us reach parents with STEM skills who want to get back into work?
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is asking for help from schools across South Wales to spread the word about a brand-new scheme that helps STEM professionals return to the industry following a career break. The organisation is working with organisation STEM Returners to launch the programme on 26/10/2020 as part of its inclusive recruitment strategy.
The IPO is asking schools to help them reach out to parents with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills, to tell them about the scheme, which is aimed at making it easier to return to STEM roles after any type of career break. Schools can help by sharing information about the opportunity via communication channels to parents.
About the IPO STEM Returners programme
The IPO is the government organisation responsible for intellectual property rights. It currently employs over 1,000 people at its London and Newport locations. The scheme provides a 12-week placement opportunity with the IPO, following which participants will have a record of recent work experience, and the potential to gain a full-time position with the organisation. This not only gives successful applicants an opportunity to restart their careers locally, it also gives them a chance to showcase their ability in a way that a CV may not allow.
Tim Moss, CEO of the IPO says of the programme:
“The STEM returners programme is a really practical way of helping returners with STEM skills take their first step back into employment. Women in particular are under-represented in specialist STEM roles – it’s a national issue. We welcome this scheme, which will help us give not just women, but returners of all genders the chance to restart their STEM career and help us to recruit some great talent for the future.”
Who is the scheme likely to appeal to?
The programme is open to of all genders across the UK who have had any length of career break.
With only 1 in 10 UK engineering posts held by women, the scheme is likely to appeal to those hoping to clock up some recent work experience after a career break – the STEM Returners programme boasts an impressive 46% female total of its successful returners.
It is also seen as a helping hand for any STEM professional whose career path may have been affected by the impact of Covid-19.
The STEM Returners organisation
Since 2018 the STEM Returners programme has helped over 150 people back into full-time work and is being seen as a crucial step to alleviate the STEM Skills gap costing UK business an estimated £1.5bn according to the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The scheme looks to modernise recruitment processes which can sometimes cast aside candidates who have taken a career break. In a recent report commissioned by the Hampshire based company, of the engineers they surveyed, two-thirds believed the recruitment process actively works against them.
“At a time when we are suffering a shortfall of STEM professionals in the UK, we believe the STEM Returners programme is more important than ever”, said Natalie Desty, Director and founder of the STEM Returners Programme.
“It is fantastic news that the IPO has decided to run a returners programme. This will come as a massive boost to STEM professionals who not only feel locked out of work by outdated recruitment methods but by the uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.”
How do I apply to be considered for the STEM Returners programme?
For more information or to apply to the scheme, please see https://www.stemreturners.com/company/ipo/
ENDS
About the UK Intellectual Property Office
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the operating name of The Patent Office, the official UK government agency responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights. The UK intellectual property system encourages innovation by helping individuals and organisations get the right type of protection for their creation or invention.
The IPO is responsible for IP policy, granting UK patents, trademarks, design rights, and educating businesses and consumers about IP rights and responsibilities. The IPO is the Government Agency responsible for copyright policy and supports IP enforcement – iits intelligence division is recognised within the Home Office Serious & Organised Crime Strategy as the UK lead on counterfeiting and piracy.
The IPO is an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
About STEM Returners
STEM Returners, in partnership with Women’s Engineering society, partners with employers to attract highly skilled returners back after a career break and enables highly qualified and experienced candidates to restart their career in a supported way. Women’s Engineering Society (WES) has been working to inspire women and increase diversity in engineering for over 100 years.
STEM Returners, WES and our partner employers share a common objective of increasing the representation of underrepresented groups in STEM and ensuring that those who have left STEM are able to return a to a flexible, supported, and inclusive environment. We also support degree qualified engineers who are struggling to start their career and face the same barriers as our career break returners.
The STEM Returners programme seeks to achieve the following:
- Increase the number of mid- senior career engineers
- Increase the number of female engineers and engineers from minority ethnic backgrounds
- Attract and re-train engineers from other industries
- Engage the majority in understanding the benefits of diversity and inclusion
- Raise awareness of the impact of unconscious bias and how to mitigate its effects
- Promote good practice in inclusive recruitment
Further information on STEM Returners can be found at www.stemreturners.com