A programme to help parents and carers return to work after a long career break is recruiting for its second intake.
STEM ReCharge offers coaching, job skills training, mentoring and technical refresh sessions to those who want to return to an engineering or tech role after a year or more out of the workplace. An initial intake of 40 parents and carers began in May and now a second cohort will start the programme in October.
It is delivered by coaching, network and consultancy Women Returners and STEM Returners and is funded by the Government Equality Hub, supported by the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch and Minister for Women, Maria Caulfield. STEM ReCharge aims to tackle a range of challenges faced by returners, including lack of self confidence and recruiter bias.
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Priyanka Bondre, now based in Newcastle, took part in the first programme. In 2019, she left her job in India to join her husband in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and then took an extended career break to care for their young daughter. But despite a bachelor's degree in computer science, an MBA in IT Management and more than 10 years’ experience in IT, Ms Bondre found it difficult to return to work as her daughter starts school in September.
She said: "It has been wonderful to be a part of the STEM Recharge programme. The programme gave me a confidence boost to resume my professional journey. I am enrolled in a data engineer bootcamp and thrilled to reskill and re-enter the workforce."
STEM ReCharge, which has earned support from regional employers such as Sage, aims to help some of the 75,000 people - the majority of whom are women - who had a STEM-based job in the past and would like to return to work in the future. The programme is available in the North East and the Midlands and also aims to address an imbalance in the number of such initiatives between the London and the South West, and the north of England.
Julianne Miles, CEO of Women Returners, said: "It’s fantastic to see that we’re already making such a strong impact with the STEM ReCharge support programme. After a decade of supporting professionals to return to work, we’re well aware of the multiple challenges returners face, particularly in technical fields. With our first STEM ReCharge cohort, we’re already seeing the power of a targeted support programme, rebuilding confidence, skills, knowledge and networks, to enable these talented returners to get back into great jobs. We’re really looking forward to welcoming the second cohort in October."
Natalie Desty, director of STEM Returners, said: "To see the positive impact STEM ReCharge is already having is very rewarding. As an industry, we need to do more to increase the opportunity for returners in STEM and lower the barriers they face when they try to resume their careers. We would like to encourage returners and employers to take advantage of this free programme and work together to help more parents and carers return to work."
More information on STEM ReCharge can be found .
