Returnship programs for women in tech to look out for 2022

This piece is a part of the “Voices of Women in Tech” series that was developed in conjunction with AnitaB.org, a global organization that supports women in technical areas, the businesses that employ them, and the academic institutions educating the next generation.

Re-entry problems affect all working parents, but they may be particularly severe in the IT sector. The mid-level is maybe the most crucial juncture for women on the technical career ladder because here is when a complex collection of gender obstacles intersect, according to research from AnitaB.org and the Michelle R. Clayman Institute. In actuality, 56% of women in high-tech corporations quit their jobs. Only 40% of women who quit their jobs willingly go back to them as full-time professionals.

It is not surprising that there aren’t enough women in senior roles given the high rate of mid-career departures among women from businesses. Women occupy just 5% of executive roles in the IT sector. There is a leak in the pipeline leading women in technology to senior-level positions. Through a novel type of project called “returnships,” several organizations are adopting a creative strategy to help women in the workplace, particularly those who work in the technology sector.

Returnships, a form of the internship program, give businesses a means to find and hire mid-career men and women who have taken a break from the job but want to get back into it. The majority of returnships offer technical training, but a few also offer mentoring and soft skill development to boost the confidence of the returnees. The appealing aspect of returnships Instead of beginning from scratch in your career, the program recognizes your talents and prior experience as a foundation upon which you may expand.

To address the needs of this workforce, more than 160 businesses globally are investing in these sorts of returnship programs. Nonprofits like Path Forward collaborate with a range of businesses to offer mid-career compensated programs that can give businesses the skills and tools they need to start their returnship program.

Highly trained people may re-enter the workforce thanks to returnship programs, which is a crucial advantage for businesses trying to plug employment gaps and leaky pipelines. These women technologists can go up the professional ladder and flourish in a welcoming atmosphere by going back to work at levels comparable to those they held before putting their careers on hiatus.

These programs are showing early signs of success. According to Goldman Sachs, for instance, roughly half of the participants in its returnship program now hold full-time jobs. About 75 percent of participants in Intuit Again choose to work for the company full-time.

1. The Path Forward Return to Work program.

For mid-career professionals, mostly women, who desire to return to the workforce, Path Forward collaborates with businesses to establish “returnship” opportunities. These positions include those in engineering, data analytics, and marketing. 80 percent of previous participants received job offers from the firm where they interned, and 90 percent of them are still working today.

2. The Intuit Again program for returnees

Candidates get the opportunity to work at one of the top-ranked IT businesses in the US and India thanks to this extremely effective platform. To hone professional abilities, it offers technical training as well as other courses. Intuit Again offers a 6-month talent development program every year for women technologists who want to resume their careers after taking a sabbatical. Additionally, Intuit works hard to help applicants with disabilities and is committed to diversity in the workplace. The finest firm to work for in India, Economic Times, as well as Google, Mint, ProConnect, and other businesses provide Intuit internships.

3. IBM’s “Bring Her Back” initiative

The absence of women and diversity in the tech sector presents an opportunity to update how various organizations approach their business. IBM was one of the businesses to make that realization. The goal of IBM’s mid-career women‘s tech re-entry program is to improve inclusion and diversity while addressing the industry’s talent shortages. In the instance of IBM, the re-entry program consists of a 12-week internship that starts with a three-day orientation before placing the participant in an IBM office.

These are the few returnship programs for women in tech. These instances of mid-career internships demonstrate that allowing mid-career women in technology access is a low-risk, low-commitment situation for all parties involved. Companies can achieve their objectives by diversifying their personnel ranks. Job searchers may be able to get full-time employment.

This is a fantastic illustration of how a simple choice can have a significant societal impact. Companies that incorporate this training into their hiring practices not only support diversity and gender equality in the workplace but also get the advantage of rehiring and onboarding female specialists.