Funding boost to help tackle challenges being faced by women returning to work

Return-to-work specialist Women Returners has received funding to help tackle the challenges being faced by women returning to work.

Hazel Little, client and programme director at Women Returners, which has received Scottish Government funding.

The coaching, network and consulting organisation has already enabled thousands of UK professionals to get back to the workplace.

It said that as the Scottish jobs market recovers from the pandemic, women who have taken career breaks for caring or other reasons risk being excluded from job opportunities.

The Women Returners Career Boost Accelerator programme will provide personalised support to 80 Scottish women who have taken long career breaks for childcare, eldercare, redundancy, health or other reasons. The programme will be delivered by expert returner coaches and promises to address the “practical and psychological barriers experienced by women wanting to get back to professional work after a long break”.

Hazel Little, client and programme director at Women Returners, which has received Scottish Government funding, said: “As organisations emerge from the pandemic, we are seeing record high levels of recruitment activity. We must ensure that women who have taken a career break are part of the recruitment solution post-pandemic and beyond.

“Women with a gap on their CV are often perceived to be a risky hire, with outdated skills and experience. They can lose self-confidence and networks, and so do not perform at their best in the recruitment process.

“These barriers mean that high-calibre women returners are, too often, passed over for candidates with more recent work experience.

“Our programme will equip professional women to be ready to re-enter the workforce with increased knowledge, confidence and skills to set them up for success during the recruitment process and beyond.”

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