The STEM Re-entry Task Force has officially launched.
The Society of Women Engineers and career re-entry firm iRelaunch have been hard at work creating the STEM Reentry Task Force – in which seven of the largest engineering-based companies will pilot re-entry internship programs for returning engineers. Career re-entry programs are emerging as a category of progressive action for employers integrating professionals back into the workforce later in life. This initiative is the first large scale effort in the national engineering sector to broaden the pipeline of technical women by focusing on “experienced hires.”
Returning to the workforce after a career break can be difficult – industries evolve, skill sets shift and an individual’s own work interests may have changed. Low representation of women in STEM fields is a persistent problem, making support for women with STEM degrees who left the field even more important than ever. The Task Force pilot programs will provide an opportunity for technical women returning to work to re-discover their professional selves and transition back into the workforce via a formal pathway at a company. It is also an opportunity for employers to increase the number of qualified, mid- to senior-level women in their ranks.
The Task Force founding members include Booz Allen Hamilton, Caterpillar Inc., Cummins Inc., General Motors Company, IBM, Intel Corporation and Johnson Controls. Each company will pilot a re-entry internship program in 2016, and women who assume permanent roles after their internships are complete will share their experiences with the SWE community next fall at WE16.
So how do you participate? If you are a STEM professional ready to return to work after a period of childcare, eldercare or another career break, start your re-entry process by visiting SWE’s Career Center. Post your resume and tag it “STEM Re-entry Task Force.”
If you are an employer interested in supporting women in STEM and becoming a future member of the STEM Re-entry Task Force, email reentry@swe.org.
For more information about the STEM Re-entry Task Force, visit reentry.swe.org.
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