Kemi Badenoch MP, Minister for Women and Equalities, has launched a new initiative to help people return to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) based careers following a career break due to caring responsibilities.
Supported by £150,000 of government funding, the initiative will be run by the organisations Women Returners and STEM Returners and will help upskill those wishing to return to work. This will be delivered via sector-specific refresh training, personalised employability support and work opportunities.
Historically, it has been women who take career breaks to care for children, and with only an estimated 29 percent of the UK STEM workforce made up of women, it is important to facilitate the return to work for those that do wish to progress their career.
Julianne Miles, CEO of Women Returners, hopes that the programme of support will help remove what is considered as the ‘career break penalty’ in the UK. The initiative may therefore go some way towards improving equality across the workforce, especially in what has been a traditionally male-dominated sector.
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