A pioneering project SSE has trialled to support women back into employment in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries has received a further boost today.
Minister for Employability Jamie Hepburn has announced the Scottish Government will award nearly £50,000 to Equate Scotland to extend the scheme.
The Women Returners Project will provide a further 40 women with support to re-enter the labour market by offering one-to-one guidance, career clinics and access to webinars and three month placements. The training will focus on placements in life sciences, digital skills and engineering. SSE is just one of the businesses taking part and supported two women in placements to help brush up their skills and experience.
Announcing the details on a visit to SSE’s Glasgow office, Mr Hepburn said: “This funding for the Women Returners Project will encourage women to re-enter employment and encourage them to regain the confidence and skills they may have lost during career breaks when they have had time away from the workplace.”
Louise Rasmussen, from Glasgow, was struggling to find a job with part-time hours in the knowledge management field after a career break. Thanks to support through the Women Returners Project she has now secured a six month placement at SSE. She said: “Having been out of paid employment for a number of years – looking after my daughter and completing a PhD – I felt I needed to regain confidence, develop existing and new skills, and increase my professional network.
“There are a number of advantages to participating in a returnship programme. You receive a wide range of support which is tailored to women returning to work, you meet other women also looking to return to work after a long absence, have the opportunity for paid work in a relevant STEM industry and develop existing skills and learn new ones.”
Rosie Macrae, SSE HR programmes and reporting manager, said: “We’ve been delighted to work with Equate Scotland to support women returning to careers in STEM. A successful business is a diverse one and we’re working to encourage more women to consider a career in energy.
“This has been a fantastic opportunity to tap into talent and skills of women looking to gain more recent experience in the industry and support them at the same time as helping SSE recruit the workforce it needs for the future.”
Equate Scotland run the programme. Talat Yaqoob, director, said: "Equate Scotland worked with a range of employers in our pilot project to support qualified women back into the STEM industries, including SSE. It was heartening to see the enthusiasm from the employers and they clearly understood both the social and business case to increase the number of women in STEM.
“We are delighted that the Scottish Government is investing in our original pilot and we know this will make a difference to women and Scotland's economy. We look forward to working with the Minister and STEM industries in Scotland over the next year"
Image: Jamie Hepburn MSP visited SSE’s Glasgow office to hear how the scheme is working.