Natalie has helped 400 STEM professionals back into work following career breaks

STEM Returners, founded by Natalie Desty in 2017 has helped 400 professionals back into work following career breaks.

Natalie set up STEM Returners, based near Southampton, after seeing how difficult it could be for STEM professionals with a gap in their CV to return to work.

The organisation works with leading STEM professionals to run short-term paid employment placements for candidates who have had a break in their careers.

“After working in recruitment for many years, I could see how hard it was for STEM professionals who had been out of employment to re-enter their profession,” Natalie explained.

Natalie Desty, STEM Returners Founder

“I wanted to provide an inclusive way back for those talented people who were being let down by outdated recruitment methods and bias that prevent them from getting an interview, let alone being offered the role.”

It started with a small pilot programme Natalie established with BAE Systems, with a group of returners taking part in a paid placement for 12 weeks.

The pilot was successful for both the returners and BAE Systems, and since then internationally renowned firms from the engineering, aerospace, renewables, tech and construction sectors have all launched returners programmes across the UK and Ireland.

The programme has gone on to help 400 professionals back into work.

One of those is Renu Amin, who is now working as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Cyclife Aquila Nuclear near Winchester.

Renu Amin, Mechanical design engineer with Aquila Nuclear Engineering

After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in 2006, Renu worked as a senior mechanical design engineer with an Indian shipyard before taking a career break to raise her newborn son seven years ago.

When she wanted to return to work, however, she found it to be an uphill struggle.

“I found returning to the technical workforce very hard because of my career break,” she said.

“A little break shouldn’t mean the end of your career – but the STEM Returners programme helped me to restart and provided an opportunity to brush up my skills and develop new ones as well to bridge the career gap.”

Natalie added: “We are extremely proud to place 400 STEM professionals on programmes with some of the world’s leading firms across the UK.

“There is a misconception that a career break leads to a deterioration of skills and knowledge but that could not be further from the truth.

“STEM organisations are clearly missing a major opportunity to get highly skilled, talented and diverse individuals back into the industry and need to do more to improve their practices and challenge recruitment bias in the system.

“If they do this, the industry will be a more inclusive place that will enable more people to thrive.”

Every year, STEM Returners runs the STEM Returners Index, an annual survey to understand STEM professionals’ experiences of trying to re-enter the sector after a career break.

The 2023 STEM Returners Index is open to all STEM professions who have had a gap in their career or who are attempting to return to work or who have recently returned to work and will enable STEM Returners to further understand the barriers people face, track the progress UK STEM industries are making, and shine a light on the change needed to create fair opportunities for all.

The 2023 STEM Returners Index will be open until 31 July and is available here.

• https://www.stemreturners.com/