STEM Returners is an initiative focused on making it easier for highly qualified STEM professionals to return to work or switch careers, helping to create a fairer and more diverse industry.
Today, most STEM professionals get overlooked when attempting to return from a career break, contributing to a concerning lack of diversity in STEM organisations. This is what we’re here to change.
About STEM Returners
Founded in 2017, STEM Returners was created in response to a growing skills gap in the UK STEM sector. The organisation identified significant issues in the recruitment system, which have contributed to a lack of diversity in STEM workplaces.
A broken recruitment system
Highly skilled STEM professionals get overlooked when attempting to return from a career break, struggling to make progress via traditional recruitment channels. Why? Unconscious bias at the shortlisting stage, hiring pressures leading to assumptions made on limited information, and the common misconception that a ‘CV gap’ equates to a deterioration of skills. These hidden barriers mean talented professionals are being left behind, and this needs to change.
A shoking lack of diversity in STEM
The current UK engineering workforce is 89% male and 91% white, yet few engineering companies are taking meaningful steps to attract minority ethnic groups or address the gender imbalance in their organisation.
In a market suffering from a desperate skills shortage this problem is magnified. The skills gap is growing, and the UK needs a diverse, agile and innovative STEM workforce more than ever.
Find out more by downloading the full PDF file here.
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