How Returnships Can Help Employers and Experienced Professionals Get Back to Work
If you are a professional who has been out of the workforce for two years or more, you may be feeling a bit anxious about returning. What new technologies will you need to learn? Are your skills outdated? Are you still able to perform at your previous level? Will employers even consider you when they see your resume gap? If you've been asking these questions, a return-to-work program or "returnship" may be a great opportunity for you! Technology companies are leading the way with return-to-work programs that help experienced professionals restart their careers by updating their skills and learning new technology through a part-time internship or training program. At the end of the paid program, they have the confidence and skills to re-enter the work environment and can apply for relevant, full-time positions within the company.
Experienced workers stepping back from work for a few years or longer is nothing new. Whether it's just a few months, seven years, or even longer, people have many reasons for taking a long break from their career, from family responsibilities or illness to military service. The COVID-19 pandemic has also made career breaks much more common, as many were forced to leave the traditional workforce, especially women.
For many professionals, the prospect of applying for jobs after a lengthy absence from the workforce can be daunting. They wonder if their skills are still relevant and worry about how their families will adjust to their new schedule. Additionally, they may fear employers will be less likely to consider them for a position due to the gap on their resume, as often the unemployed face a stigma which can reduce their chances of obtaining job interviews or receiving callbacks.
Fortunately, the pandemic and a very tight labor market have made some employers look past resume gaps, using programs like returnships to connect with a talented workforce that is often overlooked.
What Are Return to Work Programs?
A return-to-work program is offered by businesses to support professionals returning to the workforce after an extended absence. You may already be familiar with this phrase in connection with employees who have experienced an injury on the job or a work-related illness. Many employers institute this type of RTW program for their employees to help them gradually transition back into the workplace with appropriate accommodations while they are in the recovery period.
Technology companies and others are introducing a new kind of return-to-work program that goes beyond current employees and reaches out to the broader professional community to find new talent, close skill gaps, and increase diversity. Instead of being exclusive to current or former staff, these return to work internship or "returnship" programs target professionals who want to return to the paid workforce after a career break of at least two years, but are struggling with a skills gap or are not ready for a full-time position. Through training and mentoring, the programs empower "returners" to return to the workforce while tapping a hidden talent pool to fill employers’ open positions.
Why Are Tech Companies Starting Returnships?
Many industries have faced labor shortages due to the pandemic, as well as a growing skills gap between the skills in high demand and the skills workers possess. With so many job postings going unfilled, returnships are a way to address these issues by helping experienced professionals with applicable experience, but outdated skills, get back into the workforce. These workers may be highly skilled and educated, but they can be overlooked due to resume gaps or concerns that their technical skills may be a bit rusty after a career break.
For the technology industry, returnships can also be a way to connect with those traditionally underrepresented in the technology workforce, such as women, who are more likely to have career gaps due to family responsibilities and who were also more likely to leave the workforce during the pandemic for similar reasons. Research from the US Census Bureau showed that women in the 25-44 age group were almost 3x more likely to not seek work due to childcare needs than their male counterparts, and that 1 in 5 working age adults were not working because of childcare demands. With women often shouldering the larger burden of housework, childcare, or caring for a relative, the added pressures of the pandemic made full-time employment unfeasible for some. A LinkedIn study concluded women's careers were more vulnerable than men’s and would suffer more long-term setbacks as a result of the pandemic, which also caused more job losses for women. Returnships are a way to support these women and other professionals who have lengthy resume gaps due to the pandemic or personal factors as they transition back to a full-time role. For businesses, it is an opportunity to find untapped talent, diversify their labor force, and fill open positions.
What Does a Return to Work Program Look Like?
Returnship programs vary by company. They are often paid internships and can range from just six weeks to a six-month paid program, which may use on-the-job training or online training. They include skills workshops, mentoring, and/or boot camps for returners to sharpen old skills and learn new ones, get up-to-date on new technology and changes in their industry, and find opportunities for career growth. Many returnships are part-time, so workers can ease back into the workforce while still managing their other responsibilities.
Most businesses offering these programs are looking for new talent, so at the end of the internship, participants can usually be considered for a relevant position within the company based on their skills and performance. Many tech companies have been leading the way with these initiatives, including familiar names such as Meta, Microsoft, Dell, Oracle, IBM, and Tesla, to name a few. Other returnships are available in industries such as banking, media, and automotive manufacturing from companies that include Ford, General Motors, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Allstate, J.P. Morgan Chase, Walmart Labs, and more.
What Are the Benefits of Returnships?
Ultimately, returnships are a win-win for both the employee and the employer. At the end of the internship, workers have new experience to add to their resume, are up-to-date on their industry and market, and have been able to network with other industry professionals. The employee gains skills and confidence, while the employer gets a pool of talented candidates to fill their open roles. These programs invest in a candidate's potential, rather than judging them solely by their resume. They are also a means of improving workplace diversity by tapping hidden talent pools and drawing more diverse candidates who might not fit the usual industry stereotype. This benefits the employer's recruitment and retention efforts while simultaneously supporting some of those who were hit hardest by the pandemic. Returnships acknowledge that not everyone follows a traditional career path, that life happens, and that it shouldn't be abnormal for a professional to take a career break without it reflecting negatively on their work ethic or character.
Looking for a Returnship Program?
Start by checking out the list below of some current returnship programs. Then do your research to check availability and locations and to ensure you understand application requirements and what each program involves. This will help you determine whether a returnship is right for you. You can also check resources like irelaunch.com, which offers a comprehensive list of return-to-work programs, as well as other resources for "relaunchers" or "returners" starting their job search.
Accenture Return to Work Program
Aerospace Reentry Program
Allegheny Health Network RetuRN to Practice
Allstate
Amazon Web Services
Asurion Back2Work
Audible
Aurora Innovation, Inc
Bandwidth
Barclays Encore
Boeing Return Flight
Booz Allen Hamilton Return to Work
Brown Brothers Harriman Restart@BBH
Caterpillar Returning Professionals Development Program
CDK Global
CDM Smith Reboot Re-Entry Program
Cedars-Sinai Hospital
Chevron Welcome Back Returnship Program
Cloudflare The Path Forward Return to Work Program
Credit Suisse Real Returns™
Cummins RePower
Dana Returnship Program
Danone’s The Comeback
Dell Career ReStart
Deloitte Encore
Dow Jones Returnship
Eaton Vance Return to Work Program
Fidelity RESUME Program
Fitch Ratings CreditPath
Ford Re-Entry Program
General Motors Take 2
Global Foundries Global Journey
Goldman Sachs Returnship®
Grubhub
GTB Elevate
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Honeywell Reshape Your Future
Hubspot Returner Program
IBM Tech Re-Entry
Ingersoll Rand Relaunch
Intuit Again Returnship Program
J.P. Morgan ReEntry
Johnson & Johnson Re-Ignite
LinkedIn Reach
Lockheed Martin Chapter Next
Macquarie Returner Program
Mastercard Relaunch Your Career
Medtronic Careers 2.0
Merck Re-Invent
Meta Return to Work Program
MetLife Act2
Microsoft LEAP Engineering Acceleration Program
Morgan Stanley Return to Work
Motorola Solutions (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, California)
Natixis CIB Americas Début 2.0
NBCUniversal
Northrop Grumman iReturn
Northwell
Oracle Career Relaunch
P&G ReLaunch
Palo Alto Networks
PayPal
Qualcomm Returnship Program
Raytheon Relaunch Program
RBC RLaunch Program
SailPoint
SambaNova Systems
Santander Returnship Program
Schneider Electric Return2Work
Spectrum
T-Mobile TechX Returnship
TD Bank Career Relaunch Program
Tesla Recharge “Returnship” Program
Texas Instruments Encore
Trane Technologies
UBS Career Comeback
United Technologies RE-Empower
UniversalGiving
Walmart Labs
Wells Fargo Glide – Relaunch
Whirlpool WIRE
Workday Opportunity OnRamps
Zoox
If you are a professional who has been out of the workforce for two or more years, a returnship may be the perfect opportunity to restart your career. These internships can help experienced workers refresh their skills and knowledge, network with other professionals, learn new technologies, and make a smooth transition back into rewarding careers. Return to work programs will likely become more popular as the demand for skilled workers grows and more professionals prepare to return to the workforce. If you're ready to relaunch your career, don't put it off any longer! Do your research and see if a returnship may be right for you.
