New partnership to boost service sector employment opportunities in Warrington

UTILITIES infrastructure and engineering services company Avove has formed a new partnership with STEM Returners to improve career opportunities for people on a career break.

Avove will host a 12-week paid externship program at their UK sites, with roles based in Warrington, Worcestershire and Yorkshire, which will be available to anyone with a background in science, technology , engineering or mathematics and who is on a career break. . STEM Returners will provide candidates with support and advice, career coaching and mentoring, to help candidates feel ready and confident to return to work. Roles will include Quantity Surveyors, Site Managers, Civil Engineers, Senior Electrical and Civil Engineers
Research by STEM Returners identified the challenges people face when trying to return to work after a career break, with recruitment bias stated as the main barrier to entry. He also pointed out that women are more likely to experience recruitment bias than men when trying to get back into the industry.
STEM Returners programs 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. Avove is committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce and the utilities sector and sees this partnership as a way to attract a wider and highly qualified pool of talent.

Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, said: “We are very proud to be entering into this new partnership with Avove Utilities, to return highly skilled people back to the industry they love. There is a recognized skills shortage in the industry engineering in the UK, but despite the clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break are often overlooked. Only by partnering with industry leaders like Avove will we make a vital difference to STEM recruitment practices, to help them who find it difficult to return to the sector and improve diversity and inclusion.”
Avove’s director of people, Becky Kimber, said: “Partnering with STEM Returners is central to our aim to create a work environment where everyone can thrive. We are delighted to launch this exciting return programme, which aligns with our strategy to continue to attract a diverse and inclusive range of candidates to Avove and the sector.
“We are passionate about giving people the chance to get back into the workplace as we believe they can add real value to our business. We want to remove any barriers that prevent future talent from re-starting their STEM careers , along with training for STEM employers to create more supported pathways back into work.”

STEM Returners has recently launched its annual survey to understand the experiences of STEM professionals in trying to re-enter the workplace after a career break. The 2024 STEM Returnee Index is open to all STEM occupations who have had a career gap of any length, or are attempting to return to work, or have recently returned to work. The anonymous survey asks a series of questions, including the reasons for a career break and what challenges they faced when trying to return to work. The results will enable STEM Returners to further understand the barriers people face, follow the progress the UK STEM industries are making and illuminate the change needed to create fair opportunities for all.
The 2024 STEM Returnee Index will be open until June 30, 2024.

Since STEM Returners first launched in 2017, 500 STEM Returners candidates have joined programs across the UK. To view STEM Returners opportunities, visit https://www.stemreturners.com/placements/