STEM Returners will provide its proven returner program to BAE Systems to recruit specialists at sites in South Australia and Victoria.
Ten opportunities are available across various Engineering and Information Management and Technology roles including Electrical, Mechanical, Production, Support Engineering (including Integrated Logistic Support), Systems Engineering, Cyber Security, Data Analysts and Solution Architecture.
STEM Returners will source candidates for the program, which acts as a ‘returnship’, allowing people to be re-integrated into an inclusive environment upon their return to STEM careers.
The two previous programs helped 16 professionals resume their engineering career with BAE Systems including Raghu Srinivasaiah. Raghu had more than a decade of manufacturing experience when he migrated to Australia.
“I moved to pursue better opportunities,” he explained. “But I struggled to secure a job that would allow me to continue my professional career. Then I saw the STEM Returners program at BAE Systems and I have not looked back. I’m now 16 months into my career here and I am glad to be a part of such a vibrant organisation and in a team where I can focus on achieving my goals and realising my potential.”
Marcail Roe, Director of STEM Returners Australia, said:
“People who have had a career break face an uphill battle when trying to return. It is thought a career break results in a deterioration of skills, but in many cases, these individuals have kept up with their industry and are able to quickly refresh their abilities when they re-enter the workforce. Moreover, they have acquired new skills that would benefit the employer. We are proud to be extending our strong partnership with BAE Systems to help engineers return to STEM. Only by partnering with companies like BAE Systems can we make the necessary changes to the recruitment process that will assist those who are struggling to return to industry and fill the skills gap.”
Angela Wiggins, Chief People Officer BAE Systems Australia, said:
“We have sought to develop new partnerships and novel solutions to address the skills and resources challenge. We have been a long-time supporter of STEM Returners and we're excited to see the positive results the program has delivered since the first trial in 2021. We know there is a large, untapped pool of engineering talent in Australia, and because these skilled professionals have had career breaks, they are finding it hard to get back into the careers they love. We are delighted that we can open a door to them and, in doing so, allow them to get their engineering careers back on track with us.”
Notes for editors:
Annual research from STEM Returners UK (The STEM Returners Index) shows the challenges people who have had career break face, when trying to return – recruitment bias being the main barrier to entry. 66% percent of STEM professionals on a career break said they are finding the process of attempting to return to work either difficult or very difficult and that nearly half (46%) of participants said they felt bias because of a lack of recent experience.
STEM Returners’ program aims to eliminate these barriers, by giving candidates real work experience and mentoring during their placement and helping them to seamlessly adjust to life back in work.
While the scheme helps solve the challenge of sourcing talent in sectors that need it, it also has the added benefit of increasing diversity in a host organisation. STEM Returners Australia’s population of experienced professionals who are attempting to return to work are 64% female and 72% from ethnic minority groups, compared to 14% female and 9% from ethnic minority groups working in industry.
The fourth STEM Returners INDEX has just been launched to further understand STEM professionals’ experiences of trying to re-enter the sector after a career break.
The 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. It can be completed here.
Since STEM Returners Australia launched in 2020, more than 40 STEM Returner candidates have joined programs across Australia.