STEM ReCharge programme evaluation

Question 1

1.  Executive summary

Accepted Answer

1.1 Introduction

This report presents the findings of the STEM ReCharge programme evaluation. STEM ReCharge was a pilot return to work programme, focussing on the technology and engineering sectors. It was commissioned by the Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO), formerly the Equality Hub, under the 2022-2024 Conservative Government. OEO contracted expert organisations Career Returners^{[footnote 1]} and STEM Returners^{[footnote 2]} to deliver the programme in the Midlands and North of England between February 2023 and July 2024.

STEM ReCharge aimed to support people with experience in technology or engineering in returning to equivalent work following care-related career breaks of 12 months or longer. The programme defined these people as returners.

To meet its aim, the programme delivered technology and engineering focussed return to work training and support to returners. It also delivered training and support to employers in the same sectors to encourage and enable them to hire returners.

The evaluation was carried out shortly after the completion of the STEM ReCharge programme. The evaluation had 3 objectives:^{[footnote 3]}

to understand the programme’s aims and how it was delivered
to assess initial indicators of returners being supported to go back to work
to assess initial indicators of employers being encouraged to hire and support returners

To address these objectives, the evaluation specified core research questions across 3 themes:

understanding programme delivery
engagement with the programme
perceived outcomes for participating returners and employers

A full list of research questions under these themes is available in Appendix 2.

Evaluation activities included:

developing a theory of change (TOC)^{[footnote 4]}
analysis of quantitative survey data collected from participants before, during and after the programme
analysis of programme output monitoring data, including details of programme activities and participant attendance

The executive summary is set out as follows. Section 1.2 presents findings by the 3 evaluation themes. Section 1.4 will focus on the overall objectives of the evaluation. Section 1.5 focuses on recommendations based on the conclusions in section 1.4.

Initial indicators of returners being supported to go back to work and employers being encouraged to hire and support returners are based on participants’ self-reported attitudes after the programme. It should be noted that these are subjective, external influencing factors were not controlled for and there was no comparison group of returners and employers outside of the programme. Findings of the report cannot be used to determine the impact of the programme.

Given this evaluation was carried out shortly after the completion of the STEM ReCharge programme, long-term employment outcomes for returners are yet to be realised. Calculations of programme costs and benefits based on employment outcomes should therefore be avoided as a result. Conclusions under objectives 2 and 3 do highlight initial perceived outcomes for participants based on self-reported attitudes after the implementation of the programme.

1.2 Main findings for returners

Theme 1: Understanding programme delivery

STEM ReCharge aimed to train 80 returners. To support meeting this aim, the programme carried out a recruitment campaign, onboarding and the delivered following training and support:

5 online Coaching and Job Skills workshops to increase employability, develop CV writing and interviewing skills, build self-confidence, and develop peer support networks
a ReFresh week, for either technology or engineering specific skills and knowledge training
3 months with an employer mentor for interview practice and advice
optional drop-in support sessions for extra return to work advice

There was some variance in delivery across the 2 training cohorts. An extra outreach activity was incorporated into the onboarding process for cohort 2. There was also one fewer drop-in support session for cohort 2.

Following delivery, STEM ReCharge exceeded its aim to train 80 returners, with 90 returners completing the programme.

Theme 2: Returner engagement

STEM ReCharge attracted a high level of interest from returners. 283 applications were received which was more than double the intended number (130). Of these applicants, 45% were not eligible, mostly because they did not live in target regions of the Midlands and North of England.

90 returners ultimately completed the programme. Out of 156 eligible applicants who were invited to join, 59 disengaged during onboarding mostly without reason. There were 7 withdrawals during training, either due to someone having found a job, changes in personal circumstance, or no reason was given.

Engagement and satisfaction with most training activities was high, particularly with Coaching and Job Skills workshops. Between 96% to 100% of returners reported attending each workshop and 93% reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the training at these.

Engagement was lower at optional drop-in support sessions. On average 9 returners attended each. The most common reason for not attending these sessions, given by 50% of returners who did not attend, was because they were busy at the time.

Theme 3: Perceived outcomes for returners

Perceived outcomes for returners are based on the self-reported attitudes of those who completed the programme. This early evidence might give an indication of what the longer term outcomes for returners may be, although any longer term outcomes are yet to be realised.

The majority (76%) of returners said on the final evaluation survey that STEM ReCharge had helped them in their return to work journey. Additionally, returners reported greater confidence in articulating their strengths, performing well at interviews and returning to the workplace after the programme than before.

After completing the programme, all of the returners were either in employment, in the recruitment process, planning to look for work, or in further study or volunteering. No one reported they were not intending to either look for work, further study or volunteer.

The most common barrier to returning to work after the programme was a lack of suitable roles being available. This was reported by 43% of those who responded to the final programme survey. The inability to secure an interview was a barrier for over a third (34%) of those who completed the programme. A lack of professional confidence remained a barrier for just over one-quarter (26%) of returners who responded to the final survey.

1.3 Main findings for employers

Theme 1: Understanding programme delivery

STEM ReCharge aimed to train 30 employers, covering the business case for hiring returners, adapting recruitment and onboarding processes to be inclusive of returners, and overcoming bias against returners.

To support meeting its aim, the programme carried out a recruitment campaign and onboarding process. Training was delivered through 3 online training sessions to 41 employers. Optional ongoing support was offered through line manager drop-in support sessions.

After delivery, the programme exceeded its aim to train 30 employers, with 41 employers completing training.

Theme 2: Employer engagement

STEM ReCharge attracted considerable interest from employers. 83 employers registered for the programme, more than double the number the programme aimed to train, which was 30. The majority (83%) of employers who registered identified their organisations as large businesses.

41 employers went on to engage in the programme. The other 42 who registered disengaged during onboarding, mostly without giving a reason.

Engagement with online training sessions was high. All employers completed at least one online session and the majority (63%) of those who responded to the training evaluation survey reported attending all 3. On average, 2 employers attended each line manager drop-in session that was held. Given these activities were optional, lower engagement might be expected. The particular reasons the majority of employers did not attend could be explored further to better understand how to tailor programme design to suit employers training needs.

Overall, 97% of employers reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online training sessions.^{[footnote 5]} The majority (59%) found the line manager drop-in support sessions useful or very useful.^{[footnote 6]}

Theme 3: Perceived outcomes for employers

The evaluation assessed perceived outcomes for employers based on self-reported attitudes immediately after they completed the programme. This early evidence might give an indication of what the longer term outcomes for employers may be, although any longer term outcomes are yet to be realised.

Employers who completed STEM ReCharge reported they had a better understanding of how to hire and support returners. Most of those who completed training rated their knowledge of hiring and supporting returners as 4 out of 5. By comparison, the most common rating was 2 out of 5 before training.

The majority (66%) of employers who completed training felt confident or very confident in their ability to hire and support returners. By comparison, only 22% of employers felt confident before training.

After the programme, the majority (88%) of employers reported they either had policies in place to support returners, or had plans to introduce them.

1.4 Conclusions

Objective 1: Programme aims and delivery

After delivery, STEM ReCharge exceeded its overall aim to train 80 returners and 30 employers, with 90 returners and 41 employers completing the programme.

There was some variance in the onboarding process and delivery of support activities across the 2 returner training cohorts. The number and content of mentor meetings for returners also varied based on their assigned mentor. This may have impacted engagement during onboarding and experiences of support.

The volume of applications to the programme would suggest there is notable demand for training from returners and employers. For employer training, most interest was from larger businesses which might suggest there are particular barriers to engagement in training programmes for small and medium sized businesses.

Initial interest in the programme did not always translate into an ability to take part. Many of those who were eligible and invited to join disengaged during onboarding. The rate of disengagement was lower however when additional outreach activities were conducted during onboarding.

Most training activities sustained strong engagement and were met with high satisfaction. The findings suggest there may be scope to improve delivery of support after training since the optional drop-in support sessions were less popular among participants. Given lower demand for these sessions and that many participants were busy when they ran, it might be more effective to schedule support sessions as and when they are required. This could ensure those who want extra support can access it at a suitable time.

Objective 2: Supporting returners to go back to work

STEM ReCharge was designed to support returners to go back to work which suited their past experience and skills. Based on early evidence collected between 1 to 3 months after the programme, some progress towards meeting this aim has been made.^{[footnote 7]}

Returners who completed the programme reported feeling more prepared and confident to re-enter the workforce. All of the 47 returners who responded to the final programme survey were either employed (32%), applying or intending to apply for jobs (60%) or in further study or volunteering (8%). These positive initial signs could indicate more of the returners could secure jobs which suit their past experience and skills in the longer term.

There were certain challenges that remained after the programme. A lack of suitable roles was a persistent barrier to returning for many, suggesting additional support with identifying work opportunities might be needed.

There also remained a degree of difficulty in securing interviews for some even though the majority of returners felt confident about performing well at interviews. This might suggest more could be done to make the early stages of recruitment more accessible for returners.

Some returners also felt they still lacked professional confidence after the programme. It is possible that fully restoring confidence after a career break lasting 12 months or more may require longer term support.

At the start of the programme, 15 returners reported they were employed but in work that was lower paid or lower skilled compared to roles they held before their career break. At the end of the programme 15 returners were also employed although these are not necessarily the same people or the same people in the same roles as before. 2 employers had recruited returners since they completed the programme indicating some initial progress in securing new, or better, roles for returners following the programme. This only accounts for recruitment immediately after the programme. More time would be needed for employment outcomes to be observed before sustained outcomes from the programme can be understood.

Objective 3: Encouraging employers to hire and support returners

STEM ReCharge was designed to encourage employers to hire and support returners in their organisations. Based on early evidence collected immediately after the programme, some progress towards this aim has been made.

Out of the 20 employers who responded to the final survey, 2 (10%) had hired returners since completing training, though this only accounts for hiring practices immediately after the programme. More time would be needed for changes in hiring practices to be observed to account for variation in recruitment needs between employers in the short term.

Employers who completed STEM ReCharge reported increased knowledge and confidence in hiring and supporting returners. The majority had also implemented or planned to implement supportive policies for returners.

Given early evidence shows employers feel more capable and willing to hire returners after the programme, more employers may go on to hire more returners in the future.

1.5 Recommendations

Recommendation 1: organisations should use learning of what works to inform their own return to work programmes

Evidence from the evaluation of STEM ReCharge and of previous returner programmes suggests people trying to go back to work following care breaks can feel better prepared after they receive return to work support.^{[footnote 8]} For sectors like STEM that face skills shortages, return to work programmes might be particularly beneficial by supporting those who already have relevant experience back to work.^{[footnote 9]}

This report recommends other organisations could use learning from the evaluation of STEM ReCharge to inform the design of their own return to work support programmes across the UK, focussing on sectors facing skills shortages.

To ensure training for returners is aligned with sector needs, there may be benefits to strong buy-in from large employers in programme design and operation. Individual employers might even consider possible benefits of running internal apprenticeship style programmes for returners. Such schemes might help overcome challenges facing returners in gaining professional confidence and finding suitable roles after training.

Fewer small and medium sized businesses engaged in STEM ReCharge and there may be particular barriers to engagement in training programmes for smaller businesses. To ensure businesses of all sizes can learn how to hire and support returners, organisations and larger employers could consider sharing good practice for hiring and supporting returners within their networks or umbrella organisations. This might include ways employers can improve the accessibility of the recruitment process more broadly, or how returners can be supported in the workplace.

Recommendation 3: future programmes should be evaluated to enable ongoing improvements

Any organisation planning to run its own return to work programmes should plan to carry out a programme evaluation to understand what is working well and what could be improved. Evaluations could assess how the programme is being delivered, its short and long term outcomes and its value for money. Any learnings from the evaluation can be used to adapt programme delivery to ensure it is running effectively and efficiently.

Such evaluations could be done:

after the first year of the programme to understand how delivery has gone and whether there are improvements that could be made
over the longer term to understand how successful a programme is in supporting returners to go back to work as well as the costs and benefits of the programme

Question 2

2.  Introduction

Accepted Answer

This report presents the findings of the STEM ReCharge programme evaluation. STEM ReCharge was a pilot return-to-work programme focussed on the technology and engineering sectors. It was commissioned by the Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO), formerly the Equality Hub, under the 2022-2024 Conservative Government, and delivered by expert organisations Career Returners and STEM Returners.

The programme delivered training and support to returners with experience in technology or engineering. Returners are people who want to go back to work after a career break spent undertaking caring responsibilities for 12 months or longer. The programme aimed to help returners gain the skills and confidence needed to go back to work which suited their past experience.

In addition, the programme delivered training and support to employers in the same sectors. It aimed to encourage employers to hire and support more returners in their organisations.

2.1 Background and context

As an exciting and rapidly developing area, with more than 1 million more science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) jobs created over the last 7 years, the STEM workforce is vital to UK economic growth.^{[footnote 10]} However, shortages of skills mean the UK may not be achieving its full potential in STEM sectors.^{[footnote 11]}

To leverage the full potential of the UK’s STEM workforce, it is not only important to increase the supply of STEM skills overall, there is also a need to encourage more women specifically to enter and retain STEM careers. This is because there is a significant lack of gender balance in the sector, with women making up less than one third (31%) of the current STEM workforce. Both the economy and the UK’s research base miss out when we are not drawing a diverse, gender balanced STEM workforce from as wide a talent pool as possible.

Growth in the STEM sector could be supported by harnessing the untapped potential of STEM returners. STEM returners are defined by OEO as people who want to return to work in STEM sectors after having left the labour market for at least 12 months to look after the home or family. In 2023, there were approximately 58,000 STEM returners in the UK and the majority (71%) were women.^{[footnote 12]}

Despite a desire to go back to work, there is evidence that those trying to re-enter employment after a care-related break can face barriers. The data shows that:

38% of returners reported having experienced negative bias when applying for jobs due to a lack of recent experience^{[footnote 13]}
74% of the STEM returner population live in households with dependent children^{[footnote 14]} and 40% of female returners have reported that their childcare responsibilities are a barrier to returning due to lack of flexibility offered by employers^{[footnote 15]}
30% of returners have reported lower personal confidence which makes it more difficult to return to work^{[footnote 16]}

Successful efforts have been made to deal with these barriers in other sectors.^{[footnote 17]} Evidence suggests structured training programmes for returners focussing on building confidence, improving self-marketing (for example, CV writing), and developing peer support networks can help returners prepare to go back to work.^{[footnote 18]} Offering such training virtually and during school-hours can also support returner engagement around ongoing care responsibilities. Sector-specific skills training supported by sector employers may also help returners after a long career break.^{[footnote 19]}

Specialist support can also enable employers to adapt how they design, advertise and recruit for jobs so they are more accessible for returners.^{[footnote 20]} To encourage employers to engage with support, transparency about the time requirements is important. There is also a benefit in tailoring advice to employers based on their organisational structure which impacts recruitment needs.^{[footnote 21]}

Learnings from past return to work programmes also reveal that some regions have not been well served by available programmes as support frequently focussed on London and the South of England. An analysis by Career Returners found that, out of 216 programmes that ran between 2020 to 2022:

1.6 programmes per million people were in the Midlands
2.3 per million people were in the North East and Yorkshire
2.5 per million people were in the North West
7.8 per million people were in London
5.3 per million people were in the South West

That amounts to a significant number of returners who may be underserved by existing programmes. This is thrown into even sharper contrast when coupled with the fact that approximately 24,600 STEM returners live in the Midlands and North of England.^{[footnote 22]}

OEO relied on learnings of what has worked well in other sectors, and where return to work support has been lacking, when making decisions about the design and funding of the STEM ReCharge programme.

2.2 About the programme

STEM ReCharge was a technology and engineering focussed return to work programme delivered in the Midlands and North of England. The programme aimed to support more returners to go back to work which suited their past experience and skills, and to encourage employers to hire and support returners.

Design

STEM ReCharge was delivered in the Midlands and North of England, between February 2023 and July 2024. The programme was designed and delivered by Career Returners (previously Women Returners), an organisation that specialises in return-to-work consulting, coaching and networking; and STEM Returners, an organisation that partners with STEM employers to run paid, short-term returner programmes.

STEM ReCharge for returners was designed for people who:

had past experience working or studying in either technology or engineering
lived in the Midlands or North of England
had taken a career break due to childcare or adult care caring responsibilities
had been out of work for at least 12 months at the time training started due to caring responsibilities or been working in a lower paid, lower skilled role than previously held before caring responsibilities started
had the right to work in the UK

Both those who were out of work for at least 12 months and those who were working in lower paid, lower skilled roles compared to roles they held before their career breaks were eligible. This means the definition of a returner for the purposes of this programme was different to the standard OEO definition, which includes only those who have been economically inactive for at least 12 months due to looking after the home or family.

Two cohorts of returners received training; cohort 1 started training in May 2023 and cohort 2 in October 2023. For both cohorts, training was delivered in 2 separate streams, one with a focus on returning to work in technology sectors and one with a focus on engineering sectors. Training for returners focussed on regaining professional confidence, making successful jobs applications, and updating sector skills and knowledge. Ongoing support was available to returners after training with individual employer mentors and at drop-in sessions with programme training coaches.

STEM ReCharge for employers was open to any employers that recruited for technology or engineering roles in the Midlands or North of England.

Training for employers was also divided between employers in the technology and engineering sectors. Training for both streams started in June 2023. This focussed on the business case for hiring returners and how to adapt hiring and support policies to be able to hire and retain more returners. Ongoing support was available to employers after training at drop-in sessions with programme training coaches.

Total funding for the programme was £150,000. This was to recruit and train 80 returners and 30 employers over 16 months.^{[footnote 23]} It was expected to lead to short term benefits for those who completed training in terms of increased knowledge. Greater benefits are expected in the longer term, including more returners going back to work and an increased supply of skills to the STEM sector. An assessment of longer term benefits was not within the scope of this evaluation.

2.3 About the evaluation

A process evaluation with the following objectives:

to understand the programme’s aims and how it was delivered
to assess initial indicators of returners being supported to go back to work
to assess initial indicators of employers being encouraged to hire and support returners

To address these objectives, the evaluation specified core research questions listed in Appendix 2. The research questions were across 3 themes:

understanding programme delivery
engagement with the programme
perceived outcomes for participating returners and employers

Evaluation activities included:

development of a theory of change (TOC)^{[footnote 24]} to inform the evaluation framework and research tools, and to ensure the evaluation explored the delivery, outputs and expected outcomes from the programme
analysis of quantitative survey data from participants, collected at the start of the programme, mid-way and at the end of the programme
analysis of programme output monitoring data

Quantitative and qualitative survey data

Quantitative survey data was collected from participants during the programme to gain insight into participants’ engagement, experiences, and attitudes before, during and after the programme.

Some questions allowed respondents to answer in an open text format, allowing qualitative data to be collected through surveys.

Four online surveys were sent to returners:

all applicants completed application forms which assessed their eligibility and gathered baseline data on attitudes to returning to work
training evaluation survey 1 was sent to assess attitudes, engagement and experiences after Coaching and Job Skills workshops and their ReFresh week
training evaluation survey 2 was sent to assess attitudes, engagement and experiences after mentoring and drop-in support sessions
an end of programme survey was sent to those who completed the programme and captured perceived outcomes on attitudes to returning to work

Three online surveys were sent to employers:

a pre-training survey which assessed eligibility and gathered baseline data in terms of attitudes to hiring and supporting returners
a training evaluation survey was sent mid-way through the programme to assess engagement and experiences across specific programme activities
an end of programme survey was sent to those who completed the programme and captured perceived outcomes on attitudes to hiring and supporting returners

Programme output monitoring

Output monitoring was carried out throughout programme delivery to understand what activities took place and when, and levels of participant engagement for each activity. To this end, the following outputs were monitored:

details of activities conducted in the recruitment campaign
the number of people who were reached through each recruitment activity
the number of applications for the programme that were received
the date and a description of each training and support activity carried out
attendance at each training and support activity

Programme output monitoring data was collected by programme delivery staff and Career Returners. The data was reported each month of delivery to OEO.

Limitations

There were several challenges that should be considered when interpreting the findings of this report.

Quantitative and qualitative survey data

Completion of all surveys except returner application forms was not compulsory and response rates varied.^{[footnote 25]} Findings may not be reflective of all participants if response rates were relatively low or if there were unobserved differences between those who chose to respond to and those who did not. It is therefore possible there could be a positive bias in survey findings due to respondent engagement with the programme. Where survey data is discussed in the report, response rates are noted. Given the small sample sizes of some surveys, the findings set out in the report must be viewed with caution.

Perceived outcomes for participants are assessed based on comparisons between self-reported attitudes at the start and end of the programme. If there were unobserved differences between those who withdrew from the programme and those who completed it, this might impact any observed differences in attitudes at the start and at the end.

Survey data also reflects participants’ attitudes at one point in time but these may have changed after data was captured. Where survey data is used to discuss perceived outcomes for participants from the programme, it should be noted that attitudes, employment rates for returners and hiring practices for employers may have changed since data was captured.

Returner cohort 1 completed the end of programme survey 3 months after support activities ended, while cohort 2 completed it 1 month after. Perceived outcomes for each cohort were interpreted separately to account for the fact that end data reflects cohort 2 at a relatively early stage after support ended.

There may be differences between self-reported values on surveys and true values of the same measure. Respondents may incidentally provide false information for example due to imperfect recall. This report includes evidence based on self-reported values to assess perceived outcomes for participants and as such findings should be treated with caution recognising this represents the subjective views of participants.

Summaries of responses given to open text questions have been included in this report. It is unknown how many respondents’ views are represented in these summaries or whether they represent views of all participants. Where summaries of responses to open text questions are included in the report, this is noted.

Programme output monitoring

The timing of programme output monitoring could have had an impact on values recorded for some metrics. For instance, analytics from social media posts made by Career Returners reflect their reach and user engagement at the moment data was captured which might be higher than their reach and user engagement at earlier stages of the recruitment campaign.

Due to human error, attendance was not recorded at the fifth drop-in support session for returners in cohort 1. Average attendance has been taken for the other 10 drop-in sessions.

Intervention fidelity and dosage

There were some issues of low fidelity meaning programme delivery changed slightly between returner cohort 1 and cohort 2:

new methods were adopted during the recruitment campaign for cohort 2, whereby case studies based on returners in cohort 1 were used in the social media campaign
during onboarding, extra one-to-one calls were scheduled for returners in cohort 2 which did not happen for cohort 1

The dose of the intervention varied between returner cohorts in that the duration and number of certain activities were different for each, specifically:

recruitment for cohort 2 lasted longer than for cohort 1
cohort 2 had one fewer drop-in support session scheduled compared to cohort 1
training and support for cohort 1 was delivered over the course of 9 months compared to 7 months for cohort 2.

To take into account the possible impact of differences in programme delivery and level of dosage between cohorts, engagement and perceived outcomes are interpreted for each cohort separately.

Lack of external validity

Participants in this programme are not an entirely representative sample of the total UK population of returners or employers.^{[footnote 26]} The programme was also delivered in a particular region and focussed on the technology and engineering sectors. Perceived outcomes may have been different for other groups or in other contexts.

Possible external influences

There could have been factors outside the programme which affected participants and contributed to their attitudes changing during the programme. The evaluation did not control for the effect of any such external influences during the programme. In addition, the evaluation did not make a comparison to another group of returners or employers outside of the programme. As such, any differences in participants’ attitudes before and after the programme cannot be attributed to the impact of the programme.

Question 3

3.  The recruitment campaign

Accepted Answer

Main findings

The recruitment campaign for STEM ReCharge had 2 phases:

phase 1 ran from February to May 2023 and recruited returners for cohort 1, as well as employers
phase 2 ran from July to October 2023 and recruited returners for cohort 2

Recruitment activities in both phases involved:

a social media campaign
promotion through Career and STEM Returners’ professional networks
a press campaign
Insight Events - programme information events for employers

After the recruitment campaign, 283 applications were received for returner training. This exceeded the programme target of 130. Recruitment within Career and STEM Returners’ professional networks was particularly successful. 82% of returners who started the programme reported hearing about it from these networks.

The recruitment campaign was successful in generating returner applications, but 45% of applicants were not eligible for the programme. This was most commonly because applicants did not live in the programme target locations of the Midlands and North of England.

After the recruitment campaign, 83 employers registered for STEM ReCharge. Recruitment directly by Career Returners and STEM Returners was particularly successful. 64% of employers who registered for the programme said they heard about it from them.

This section presents evidence on the recruitment campaign for the STEM ReCharge programme. This includes evidence on how the campaign was delivered and the activities that were carried out to support meeting programme aims (evaluation theme 1).^{[footnote 27]} This also includes evidence on engagement in the programme after the campaign, including the number of returner and employer applications for training (evaluation theme 2).

The evidence used to inform this section includes programme output monitoring data, covering the details and dates of recruitment campaign activities and the number of returners and employers who were reached through these. This section also uses survey data collected from participants on training application forms.

3.1 Understanding the recruitment campaign

A recruitment campaign was designed by Career Returners to promote STEM ReCharge to returners and employers through a variety of activities. The campaign aimed to generate 130 training applications from returners. In addition, to encourage registrations for employer training, the campaign aimed to engage with 50 employers through recruitment activities. Some activities were targeted towards returners or employers specifically, and where this was the case these activities are highlighted.

The campaign had 2 phases:

phase 1 ran from February to May 2023 to recruit returners for training cohort 1 and to engage employers
phase 2 ran from July to October 2023 to recruit returners for cohort 2

There was some variation in the delivery of the campaign between phase 1 and 2 and where there were differences, these are noted and metrics from each phase are discussed separately to account for these.

STEM ReCharge training for returners was advertised through posts on social media, on the platforms LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Content included:

quotes about the programme from Career Returners and from OEO
images of press articles about the programme
images and text providing programme information
video messages from STEM ReCharge programme training coaches, sharing potential benefits of the programme

In phase 2, the majority (73%) of content posted on social media used images or quotes from returners who had started training in cohort 1.

The aim was to advertise the programme to a high number of users, to encourage them to apply for STEM ReCharge returner training. No specific target was set for the number of users to be reached on social media. By posting on their own social media accounts, Career Returners were able to target recruitment towards their own followers and as such were likely to be interested in return to work support. To expand reach further, paid advertising was used to boost one video on Facebook, of a STEM ReCharge training coach providing programme information and encouraging people to apply.

During phase 1, 50 posts were shared across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X, reaching an average of 476 users. The video posted on Facebook using paid advertising reached 5,379 users. In phase 2, 37 new posts were shared, with an average of 530 users across all posts.

Social media posts advertising the programme were also made by STEM Returners. Posts were made on X and LinkedIn which included information on the programme and how to apply. Programme monitoring data did not capture the full reach and engagement with posts made by STEM Returners.

Social media posts announcing the launch of the programme were also made by OEO, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. However, analytics for these were not recorded for the purposes of this report.

Career Returners’ Professional Network

Recruitment was also targeted within Career Returners’ Professional Network. The Professional Network is an online community, open to people who have taken career breaks, which shares free resources to help members return to work.

Career Returners advertised the programme in fortnightly newsletter emails to members of the Professional Network. In phase 1, STEM ReCharge was advertised in 5 newsletters which, on average, were sent to 8,256 members.^{[footnote 28]} On average, newsletters were opened by 51% of those they were sent to, which is 4,211 members (see Table 3-1). In phase 2, STEM ReCharge was advertised in 7 newsletters which reached an average of 8,839 members^{[footnote 29]}, with an average open rate of 53%. That equates to 4,685 members opening each newsletter on average in phase 2.

Table 3-1: On average, newsletters advertising the programme were opened by more than half of the members of Career Returners’ Professional Network

Reach and open rates of newsletters sent to Career Returners’ Professional Network by network members

Recruitment campaign phase	Number of newsletters sent	Average membership of Professional Network	Average open rate of newsletters	Average number of members who opened newsletters^{[footnote 30]}
Phase 1	5	8,256	51%	4,211
Phase 2	7	8,839	53%	4,685

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data, March 2024

The programme was also advertised in newsletters to the STEM Returners Professional Network but complete monitoring data, including the reach of these, was not available.

Press campaign

A public relations consultant was hired to lead a press campaign to promote the STEM ReCharge programme, to returners and employers. The consultant wrote a press release and distributed it to media outlets in the Midlands and North of England, and outlets with a focus on work in the STEM sector.

The press release was distributed to 368 media outlets. 28 of these published the press release.

Employer Insight Events

In phase 1 of the campaign, STEM ReCharge was promoted to employers at Insight Events. These events were designed to inform employers about STEM ReCharge training and the benefits of hiring returners. They involved talks and question and answer panels with other employers who have hired STEM returners.

Three in-person events were hosted in April 2023, at employer premises in Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. One virtual event was hosted in June 2023. Career Returners aimed to engage 50 employers at Insight Events. This was surpassed, with 55 employers attending the events. While the events were an important part of the recruitment campaign for employers, it should be noted there were other ways employers might have heard about the programme and those who did not attend Insight Events could still register for training.

3.2 Engagement following the recruitment campaign

STEM ReCharge web page views

Applications for STEM ReCharge were submitted on a programme web page. The number of views the page received was tracked during the recruitment campaign, proxying engagement with the programme.

During phase 1, the page received 6,142 views. In phase 2, the page received 3,646 views. Views of the page may have been lower in phase 2 because it partly overlapped with school summer holidays. Findings from previous returner programmes show those with childcare responsibilities may be less likely to look for work during school holidays.^{[footnote 31]}

Returner applications

Career Returners aimed to generate 130 applications for returner training. This target was exceeded - 283 applications were ultimately received.^{[footnote 32]} More applications were received for cohort 2 than cohort 1 - 149 applications compared to 134 which may reflect that recruitment for cohort 2 lasted longer (98 days compared to 70 days), allowing more time for applications to be submitted.

Application forms from returners who started training^{[footnote 33]} were analysed to understand where they heard about STEM ReCharge. It should be noted returners were able to identify more than one source. The majority (82%) of returners said they heard about the programme through the Career and STEM Returners Professional Networks. Specifically, 59% heard about the programme through Career Returners and 23% through STEM Returners.

18% of applicants reported hearing about the programme through other sources, including:

social media
the programme web page
through a friend
on the government website
from STEM Returners
an online search

Ineligible applications

While the recruitment campaign was successful in generating returner applications overall, 127 out of the 283 (45%) applications received were ineligible.

Applicants were eligible if they:

had experience or qualifications in technology or engineering
lived in the Midlands or North of England
had taken a career break due to caring responsibilities (childcare or adult care)
had been out of work for a minimum of 12 months at the time training started or been working in a lower paid, lower skilled role than previously held due to caring responsibilities
had the right to work in the UK.

The most common reasons applicants were not eligible were as follows:

the majority (69%) did not live in the target regions of the Midlands or North of England
17% did not fully complete their application form
9% had taken a career break that was non-care related
2% had taken career breaks that were shorter than 12 months
2% did not have a background in technology or engineering

A small number of applicants to cohort 2 were ineligible because they were already part of cohort 1.

After deducting ineligible applications, the programme received 156 eligible returner applications.

Employer engagement

Following the recruitment campaign, 83 employers registered for STEM ReCharge employer training.

Employers who registered were asked how they heard about STEM ReCharge on a pre-training survey. This was completed by 45 employers out of the 83 who registered (54%). Among employers who completed the survey, the majority (64%) reported hearing about the programme from Career and STEM Returners. It should be noted that Career and STEM Returners advertised the programme to employers through a range of activities, including social media and Insight Events. Where employers reported hearing about the programme from Career and STEM Returners, it cannot be determined which activities they were reached through.

Employers also reported hearing about the programme from other colleagues (7%), LinkedIn (7%), press articles (4%), professional associations (4%), national or local government (4%), other events (4%), and Human Resource partners (2%). Some employers also reported hearing about the programme through email (2%) though did not specify where this correspondence came from.

Question 4

4.  Onboarding

Accepted Answer

4.1 Onboarding for returners

Main findings

156 eligible applicants were invited to begin the onboarding process for the STEM ReCharge programme. The onboarding process involved:

a training needs assessment, asking about returners’ past experience of work, skills and caring responsibilities
allocation to either a technology or engineering focused training stream
small group meetings to build peer support

For returners in cohort 2, Career Returners conducted extra one-to-one calls with participants during onboarding. These gave participants extra information on what the programme would entail.

Out of 156 returners who were invited to join the programme, 59 (38%) disengaged before training, mostly without reason. The rate of disengagement during onboarding was lower for cohort 2.

97 applicants out of the total 156 (62%) went on to begin training. 92% of participating returners were female, which is higher than the proportion in the total UK STEM returner population (71%).

63% of participants said they had previously tried to return to work but were unsuccessful. 50% felt only somewhat or not confident about returning to work. The most common barrier to returning to work was being unable to secure an interview (52%).

This section presents evidence on the onboarding process for returners to the STEM ReCharge programme. This includes evidence on what the onboarding process entailed (evaluation theme 1).^{[footnote 34]} In addition, this section presents evidence on those returners who were onboarded, including their experiences of care, attitudes towards returning to work, and their reasons for applying to training (evaluation theme 2).

Programme monitoring data is used to inform this section including the number of returner applications received by eligibility. This section also uses survey data collected from returners on application forms.

Understanding the onboarding process

All of the 156 returners who applied and were eligible for the programme were contacted to begin the onboarding process. Career Returners invited applicants to complete a training needs assessment online which would be used to inform training methods based on participants’ past experience of work, skills and caring responsibilities. Returners were also assigned to either a technology or engineering focused training stream. Finally, returners were invited to pre-training meetings in small groups, to encourage participants to start building peer support networks.

For returners in cohort 2, Career Returners conducted extra one-to-one calls with participants during the onboarding process to discuss the programme and training requirements.

Engagement with the onboarding process

Out of the 156 eligible applicants initially contacted to begin onboarding, 120 (77%) responded and started the process. The other 36 (23%) applicants did not respond and did not give reasons for their disengagement after submitting applications.

Out of the 120 returners who started the onboarding process, 23 (19%) withdrew before training began. 35% of those who withdrew did not give a reason and a further 39% stopped engaging without a reason. 13% withdrew because they felt the programme was not the right fit. There were a few people who also withdrew due to changes in personal circumstances.

Out of the 23 returners who withdrew during onboarding, 19 (83%) were from cohort 1 and only 4 (17%) were from cohort 2. This might suggest the extra one-to-one calls with returners in cohort 2 during the onboarding process might have supported engagement.

After accounting for withdrawals, a total of 97 returners finished onboarding, and went on to engage with the programme. That is 62% of the 156 returners who were invited to join. 43 returners began training in cohort 1 and 54 returners in cohort 2. Across both cohorts, 67 returners were allocated to the technology stream and 30 to engineering.

Participating returners

Personal characteristics

Returners were given the option of providing some of their personal characteristics on their application forms. Characteristics for the 97 returners who started STEM ReCharge were analysed and compared to trends in the wider STEM returner population.^{[footnote 35]}

Among the 97 returners who started in the programme, 92% were female and 8% were male. The rate of female participation in the programme was therefore disproportionately high compared to the proportion in the total UK returner population for STEM occupations (71%).^{[footnote 36]} The proportion of female participants was also higher in cohort 2 than in cohort 1: 96% compared to 86%.

The most common age group participating returners fell into was 35 to 44 years, with 46% of participants in this range. This is reflective of trends in the national population, given the average age of a STEM returner was estimated at 40.5 years old.^{[footnote 37]}

Table 4-1: 46% of participating returners were aged between 35 to 44 years

Percentage of participating returners in different age groups

Age groups	Percentage of participating returners
25 to 34	22%
35 to 44	46%
45 to 54	25%
55 to 64	7%

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data, April 2024. Base: 97 participating returners.

Among the 97 participating returners, 59% were from an Asian or Asian British ethnic group, which is higher than the proportion in the total population of the Midlands and North of England. Across these areas, on average 8% are from an Asian or Asian British ethnic group.^{[footnote 38]} A similar trend can be seen across the UK, where a higher proportion of the total STEM returner population is from an Asian or Asian British ethnic group (19%) compared to the total population (9%).^{[footnote 39]}

Among participating returners, 23% were from a white ethnic group. By comparison, across the Midlands and North of England, on average 85% are from a white ethnic group.^{[footnote 40]} Across the UK, a lower proportion of the total STEM Returners population is from a white ethnic group (68%) compared to the total population (82%).^{[footnote 41]}

Table 4-2: Most participating returners were from an Asian or Asian British ethnic group

Percentage of participating returners belonging to different ethnic groups^{[footnote 42]}

Ethnic group	Percentage of participating returners
Asian or Asian British	59%
Black, African, Caribbean or Black British	13%
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups	-
White	23%
Other ethnic group	-

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data, April 2024. Base: 97 participating returners.

Caring responsibilities

Returners were asked on application forms what caring responsibilities they were currently undertaking or had previously undertaken. It should be noted that returners could select more than one of the options listed. The type of caring responsibilities returners had were as follows:

the majority (72%) had ongoing childcare responsibilities
35% previously had childcare responsibilities
10% currently had and 16% previously had adult care responsibilities
7% had other kinds of caring responsibilities, in addition to adult or childcare

Here, participating returners’ experiences of care reflect trends in the total UK STEM returner population, in that 74.4% of STEM returners live in a household with dependent children.^{[footnote 43]}

The duration of career breaks among participating returners ranged from 1 to over 15 years. The most common duration of career break was 4 to 5 years, with 33% of returners having taken this much time away from work due to caring responsibilities.

Before starting training, most returners (81%) were not employed due to their caring responsibilities. A smaller group (15%) were employed in lower paid or skilled jobs than previously held before undertaking caring responsibilities. A small minority (3%) were not employed for other reasons.

Confidence in, and barriers to, returning

When asked how confident they felt about returning to work, 50% of participating returners reported they were very confident or confident. The other 50% reported being somewhat or not confident.

Returners were also asked what the most significant barriers they had faced in returning to work. For this question, returners were able to give more than one answer. The most common response from the 96 who answered was being unable to secure an interview. 52% returners identified this as a barrier (see Figure 4-1). This was followed by a lack of professional confidence (45%) and a lack of suitable roles (41%).

20% of those who responded identified other barriers to returning to work. These included a lack of experience or skills, discrimination against age, feeling overqualified, lack of UK specific experience, and having career gaps on CVs.

Only 2% of returners reported they faced no significant barriers to returning to work.

Figure 4-1: Most returners who started the programme felt unable to secure an interview

Barriers to returning to work and the percentage of returners who experienced them

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to April 2024. Base: 96 participating returners.

4.2 Onboarding for employers

Main findings

83 eligible employers who registered for the programme were invited to begin onboarding. The onboarding process involved employers being asked to complete a voluntary pre-training survey online, to understand their experience with returners so far and to assign them to either a technology or engineering sector focussed training stream.

Out of the 83 employers invited to begin onboarding, the majority (83%) were large businesses.

The majority (58%) of employers who completed pre-training surveys during onboarding reported they had no previous experience of working with returners. Generally, employers who registered reported having little knowledge and low confidence in their ability to hire and support returners in their organisations. However, 78% reported a willingness to adapt hiring policies for returners.

Out of the 83 employers invited to begin onboarding, 41 went on to start training. The other 42 employers who registered disengaged before training without giving reasons. Possible barriers and enablers to participation could be explored further to encourage employer engagement.

This section presents evidence on the onboarding process for employers to the STEM ReCharge programme. This includes evidence on what the onboarding process entailed (evaluation theme 1).^{[footnote 44]} In addition, this section presents evidence about the employers who were onboarded, including their experience of working with returners, their knowledge of hiring and supporting returners and their expectations for the programme (evaluation theme 2).

Programme output monitoring data is used to inform this section includes, including the number of employer registrations received. This section also uses survey data collected from employers on pre-training forms.

Understanding the onboarding process

All eligible employers who registered for STEM ReCharge, those who hired for technology or engineering roles in the Midlands or North of England, were invited to begin onboarding.

During the onboarding process, employers were invited to complete a voluntary pre-training survey online. The survey was used to understand training needs and to assign them to either the technology or engineering focussed training stream, depending on their sector. The pre-training survey also gathered information about employers’ characteristics and to understand baseline attitudes to hiring and supporting returners.

Engagement with the onboarding process

All 83 employers who registered for STEM ReCharge met the eligibility criteria and were invited to start onboarding. It is worth noting employers judged whether their organisations hired roles in technology or engineering sectors which determined their eligibility. As there can be subjectivity in how technology or engineering roles are defined there may be variation in the kinds of roles available in these organisations.

During onboarding, 36 employers out of the 83 who registered for the programme disengaged before onboarding began and did not respond to Career Returners when invited to complete pre-training assessment. These employers did not give reasons for their disengagement.

Ultimately, 41 employers out of the 83 who registered completed the onboarding process and started training on the STEM ReCharge programme.

Employer characteristics

Demographics

Out of the 83 employers who were invited to begin onboarding, 83% identified as large businesses, 8% as medium and 9% as small or micro.^{[footnote 45]}

63% of employers who registered for training were based in the Midlands or North of England. Some employers were based in other areas - 31% in the South East of England and 6% in either the South West, Ireland or Scotland.^{[footnote 46]} All employers who registered hired staff in the target regions of the Midlands or North of England.

Experience of working with returners

Employers were asked about their experience of working with returners on the voluntary pre-training survey. This was completed by 45 employers, 54% of those who registered for training. The following is based on analysis of the responses and thereby reflects only a proportion of employers who registered.

Employers’ previous experience of working with returners varied notably. The majority (58%) reported having had no previous professional experience with returners at all. Some employers indicated they had more extensive experience, for instance, 19% said they already run or had previously run tailored support programmes for returners.^{[footnote 47]}

Attitudes to hiring and supporting returners

To understand employers’ baseline knowledge of business case for hiring returners, and how to adapt hiring processes for returners, they were asked to rate their knowledge of the following on pre-training surveys:

the full business case for hiring returners
return-to-work pathways (supported hiring or retraining for returners)
personal and structural challenges for returners
how to adapt advertising and attraction for returners
how to adapt application processes for returners
how to adapt interviews and assessments for returners

Employers could give themselves a rating from 1 to 5, where 1 is no knowledge and 5 is excellent knowledge. Generally, employers’ knowledge of why and how to hire returners was low. The most common rating of their knowledge across each aspect was 2 out of 5. Employers rated themselves particularly low on knowledge of how to adapt advertising and attraction, application processes and interviews and assessments for returners, with almost one-quarter (23%) of employers rating their knowledge 1 out of 5 on each of these points.

To understand what employers already knew about supporting returners, they were asked to rate their knowledge of the following:

the psychological transition stages of a returner joiner
how to structure a returner induction
the key components of a returner support team
how a line manager can practically support a returner

The employers’ knowledge of supporting returners was similarly low. The most common rating from employers was 2 out of 5 across each of the aspects listed, though for each aspect, more than 20% rated their knowledge as 1 out of 5.

Employers were asked how confident they felt in their ability to hire and support returners, from very confident, confident, somewhat confident, slightly confident, to not at all confident. Overall, most were somewhat or slightly confident. No employers were very confident.

Figure 4-2: Most employers felt somewhat confident in their ability to hire and support returners. None were very confident

Percentage breakdown of how employers rated the confidence in their ability to hire and support returners

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to May 2024. Base: 41 employers who completed the pre-training survey

When asked how likely they were to adapt their recruitment processes for returner candidates over the next 12 months, 78% of employers said they were likely or very likely to adapt.

Question 5

5.  Training and support

Accepted Answer

5.1 Training and support for returners

Main findings

Training and support activities for returners during STEM ReCharge were:

5 online Coaching and Job Skills workshops
a technology or engineering ReFresh week, involving sector specific skills training
3 months of mentoring from either a technology or engineering sector employer
drop-in support sessions with a programme training coach

Out of the 97 returners who started training, 90 completed training and support on the programme. This means the programme surpassed its target of training 80 returners. There were 7 returners who withdrew during the programme, either without giving a reason or due to changes in their personal circumstances.

Engagement with drop-in support sessions was lower than other training and support activities. On average, only 9 returners attended each session. The main reason returners gave for not attending was because they were busy at the time.

The majority of returners who completed evaluation surveys were satisfied with all aspects of training and support:

93% were satisfied or very satisfied with the Coaching and Job Skills workshops
91% with their ReFresh week
83% with mentoring
80% with drop-in support sessions

After completing all training and support activities, 93% said they would recommend the programme.

This section presents evidence related to the training and support activities for returners. This includes evidence on what activities took place and when (evaluation theme 1). In addition, this includes evidence on returner engagement in and their experiences of training and support activities (evaluation theme 2).

The evidence used to inform this section includes programme output monitoring data, including the dates of training and support activities and returner attendance at these. This section also uses survey data collected from returner participants, before training, during training and at end of the programme.

Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Understanding Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Training and support for returners began with 5 online Coaching and Job Skills workshops. Coaching and Job Skills workshops were delivered online by a programme training coach who was trained by Career Returners. There was one workshop a week, over 5 weeks. Returners were placed into small groups to complete the workshops, with the aim of building closer relationships and encouraging peer support among participants. The training content of the workshops was intended to increase employability, by building self-confidence and developing practical skills like CV writing and interviews skills.

The 5 workshops were titled:

Kickstart your Return - Return-to-work Roadmap, Strengths and Positive Mindset
Career Direction – Exploring Options, Job Criteria and Fulfilment
Your Marketing Toolkit – Your CV, LinkedIn Profile and Positioning your Career Break
Interview Skills and Action Planning – Professional Intro, Competency Based Interviews and Star Model
Flexibility and Financial Planning – Flexible Working, Financial Considerations and Action Planning

Engagement with Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Out of the 97 returners who began training, 95 completed at least one Coaching and Job Skills workshop. Two returners dropped out during the delivery of workshops - 1 reported to have found a job and the other gave no reason.

Returners were asked about their engagement with Coaching and Job Skills workshops on the first training evaluation survey. This was completed by 44 returners (46% of those who completed training). 61% of respondents were from cohort 1 and 39% from cohort 2. The following is based on analysis of their responses but given the small sample and larger representation of cohort 1, findings may not be representative of all returners’ experiences.

When asked which of the 5 Coaching and Job Skills workshops they attended, most returners who responded to the survey reported having attended all of them. Attendance was slightly lower at Workshop 5, Flexibility and Financial Planning, however 96% of returners who responded to the survey still reported attending.

It should be noted that less than half (46%) of those who were engaged in the programme reported their attendance at the workshops on training surveys. Attendance figures for workshops should be treated with caution given the lower response rate and the potential for self-report bias due to imperfect recall. Actual attendance rates at the workshops might have been slightly different.

Returner experiences at Coaching and Job Skills workshops

The majority of returners who responded to the first training evaluation survey^{[footnote 48]} (93%) reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the Coaching and Job Skills workshops overall. 5% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 2% were very dissatisfied.

Returners were also asked to rate the following aspects of the workshops as either excellent, very good, satisfactory, poor or very poor:^{[footnote 49]}

the variety of topics
the quality of content
the quality of coaches
the opportunity to ask questions
the cohort and peer support
the accompanying workbooks
the length of workshops
the frequency of workshops
the pace of workshops

The majority of returners (between 73% to 89% of those who provided ratings) said each aspect was excellent or very good (see Figure 5-1). No aspects were rated very poor. However, over one-quarter (27%) rated the cohort and peer support as satisfactory.

Figure 5-1: Most returners rated all aspects of the Coaching and Job Skills workshops as excellent or very good

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated aspects of the Coaching and Job Skills workshops^{[footnote 50]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to May 2024. Base: 44 returners who completed training evaluation survey 1, 43 who completed training evaluation survey 1 for the accompanying workbooks

When asked what could be done to improve the Coaching and Job Skills workshops, suggestions included providing more individual coaching on creating CVs and using LinkedIn; sharing success stories from those who have returned and sharing information on graduate and apprenticeship programmes.^{[footnote 51]}

Demand for more individualised support with CV writing and LinkedIn might have been met during drop-in support sessions. This suggests further signposting to the drop-in support sessions to access such support could have supported this need.

ReFresh week

Understanding ReFresh week

Following the Coaching and Job Skills workshops, returners were invited to a ReFresh week, to develop skills and knowledge specifically related to working in either the technology or engineering sector, depending on which they wanted to return to. During their ReFresh week, returners attended question and answer sessions with employers from their chosen sector and completed a work-style group project.

ReFresh weeks were delivered online and scheduled during school-hours, with an aim to enable returners to participate around childcare responsibilities.

Engagement with ReFresh weeks

Attendance at ReFresh weeks was recorded by programme training coaches and reported by Career Returners as part of programme output monitoring.

Engagement in ReFresh weeks was high, with 78 out of 95 returners (82%) attending their respective week, online in real time. 15 returners (16%) could not attend at the time of their ReFresh week but received recordings of the full week. 2 returners missed their ReFresh week due to having other personal commitments. It is unclear whether these people had access to recordings.

Returner experiences at ReFresh weeks

The first training evaluation survey asked returners about their experience of their ReFresh week.^{[footnote 52]} Overall, the majority (91%) of returners who responded said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with training during their ReFresh week. No one was either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, although almost 1 in 10 (9%) said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Returners were asked to rate the following aspects of their ReFresh week as either excellent, very good, satisfactory, poor or very poor:

the variety of topics
the quality of content
the quality of speakers
the opportunity to ask questions
the follow up information
the length of sessions
the frequency of sessions
the pace of sessions

Most returners rated every aspect of their ReFresh week positively (see Figure 5-2). Across all aspects listed, between 79% to 89% of returners gave a rating of excellent or very good. No one rated any aspect of their ReFresh week as very poor. Only 2 aspects received poor ratings which were the quality of content and the follow up information though this was only from 2% and 5% of returners respectively.

Figure 5-2 Most returners rated all aspects of their ReFresh week as good or very good

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated aspects of ReFresh weeks^{[footnote 53]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to May 2024. Base: 44 returners who completed training evaluation survey 1, 43 who completed training evaluation survey 1 for the opportunity to ask questions and the follow up information

When asked what, if anything, could be done to improve their ReFresh week, suggestions for improvement included incorporating teaching on how to change careers and providing more insight into networking.^{[footnote 54]} While this teaching could have been incorporated into ReFresh weeks, returners might have benefitted from being directed to drop-in support sessions to ask these specific questions.

Mentoring

Understanding mentoring

After completing the Coaching and Job Skills workshops, returners were matched with an employer mentor, recruited and trained by Career Returners.

Returners were allocated a mentor with experience working in the sector they were most interested in returning to, either technology or engineering.

Mentors were encouraged to set up meetings with returners, to offer practice interviews or general advice about returning to work. Mentor pairings lasted 3 months and mentors were advised to set up 3 meetings with returners over that time, though this was not compulsory and in practice the number of meetings that were set up varied.

Engagement in mentoring

Overall, 91 returners were paired with an employer mentor. Out of the 95 who completed previous training and support activities, 4 returners withdrew from the programme before mentoring began. 1 returner who was paired with a mentor then went on to drop out before the programme ended. In each case, returners either did not give a reason for their withdrawal or withdrew due to changes in personal circumstances.

The second training evaluation survey asked returners about their experience of mentoring. This was completed by 43 returners out of the 91 (47%) who were paired with mentors. 26% of survey respondents were from cohort 1, while 74% were from cohort 2. Given the low response rate and lower representation of returners from cohort 1, findings may not be wholly reflective of the different levels of engagement among all returners.

The second training evaluation survey asked returners how many meetings they had with their mentors. Most (60%) reported having had between 1 to 3 meetings and just over one-quarter (26%) had 4 or more. 14% of returners, all of whom were from cohort 2, reported having had no meetings set up at all.

Returner experiences of mentoring

Returners were asked how satisfied they were with their experience of mentoring. As returners were paired with different mentors, experiences might have varied based on the approach of each mentor.

42 returners out of 91 (46%) who were paired with a mentor and had at least one meeting with their mentor gave a rating. 83% reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with mentoring. 12% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. 2% were dissatisfied and a further 2% said they were very dissatisfied.

Returners were asked which aspects of mentoring they found most helpful. Career Returners provided a summary of responses given by returners.^{[footnote 55]} Responses included getting interview practice, working on CVs, hearing about their mentors’ past experience and getting help with understanding the employment landscape. Responses also included confidence building, receiving positive guidance and having someone to act as a ‘sounding board’.

Returners were asked for suggestions on how mentoring could be improved.^{[footnote 56]} Recommendations given included getting more information on how to make the most of meetings with mentors and making mentoring more structured or longer. These were topics that were reported as having been covered at drop-in support sessions, though it is possible some returners were not aware they could seek advice on mentoring during drop-in sessions.

Suggestions were also made for the process of matching them with a mentor to be improved, including by matching returners with mentors whose experience aligned more closely to returners’ interests or recruiting mentors from a wider selection of STEM industries.

Recommendations for improving mentoring also included providing a support group or community for continued networking and professional discussion. It is unclear if this suggestion relates to having mentoring support in groups or having group support in addition to one-to-one mentoring.

Drop-in support sessions

Understanding drop-in support sessions

All returners were able to attend monthly drop-in support sessions which were held online and run by a programme training coach, recruited and trained by Career Returners. Sessions were designed to give returners a regular opportunity to ask questions or seek advice about returning to work if they so needed.

The programme aimed to hold 5 drop-in support sessions for each training cohort. Ultimately, 6 sessions were held for cohort 1, with one taking place each month from July to December 2023. 5 drop-in support sessions were arranged for cohort 2, with one taking place each month from January to May 2024. As cohort 2 started the programme later, fewer sessions could be arranged compared to cohort 1, before the programme came to an end.

Engagement in drop-in support sessions

Attendance at drop-in support sessions was recorded by the programme training coaches who ran them for all sessions held for cohort 2, and 5 out of the 6 sessions held for cohort 1.^{[footnote 57]} It should be noted that attendance at the sessions was optional as they were designed to offer an opportunity for returners to seek additional support if they so needed.

For the sessions for which data is available, returner engagement was generally low, with an average of 9 returners in attendance at each. Attendance was lower in cohort 2, with an average of 6 returners attending each of the 5 sessions that were held for them. On average, 12 returners in cohort 1 attended each of the 5 sessions for which data is available.

On the second training evaluation survey, returners were asked reasons for not attending drop-in sessions. 30 returners responded to this question. 50% said they missed sessions because they were busy at the time. 13% said this was because they did not have any questions to ask. 37% of returners stated they did not attend drop-in support sessions for other reasons including personal commitments, technology issues and feeling that information would be repeated.

Programme training coaches who led the drop-in sessions gave feedback about returners’ levels of engagement during the sessions. The following quotes from coaches were shared for the purposes of this report.

Quotes from programme training coaches about engagement at the drop-in support sessions

“Very interactive session with sharing of tips and insights amongst the returners.” - training coach on a session with cohort 1

“Supportive and interactive session with the returners sharing suggestions, advice and feedback.” - training coach on a session with cohort 1

“A supportive session with participants sharing advice and information on their return-to-work journeys as well as other training and upskilling opportunities” - training coach on a session with cohort 2

“Good conversation in 2nd Drop-in session” - training coach on a session with cohort 2

The training coaches also summarised topics discussed during drop-in support sessions. Topics covered included building CVs and LinkedIn profiles and how to prepare for interviews. Sessions also covered coaching on overcoming low confidence and recruiter bias against career breaks as well as bouncing back from rejection. During sessions, there was also discussion on how to make career changes and build experience through volunteering or further training. Coaches also gave advice about how to get the most out of meetings with mentors.

Returner experiences at drop-in support sessions

The second training evaluation survey asked returners to rate their overall satisfaction with drop-in support sessions.^{[footnote 58]} 80% of those who responded and attended a drop-in support session said they were either satisfied or very satisfied. 13% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 7% were dissatisfied. No one was very dissatisfied. It should be noted it is not certain that all 30 returners who gave a rating actually attended a drop-in support session – it is possible some gave a rating without having attended any.

Returners were also asked which aspects of the drop-in support sessions they found most helpful. Career Returners provided a summary of responses given.^{[footnote 59]} Aspects that were mentioned included getting the chance to connect with other returners and the supportive environment that helped with confidence. The training coaches who ran the sessions were themselves considered particularly helpful. Other aspects included the guidance on overcoming obstacles, getting fresh perspective on previous skills and gaining knowledge of useful resources for returning to work.

When asked for how drop-in support sessions could be improved, returners’ suggested^{[footnote 60]} giving more advance notice of the date of sessions. Given 50% of returners reported also they did not attend the sessions because they were busy at the time, having a clearer schedule for drop-in sessions might have benefitted some returners.

Other suggestions for improvements were to structure sessions around themes to give them more focus, to hear from successful returners during sessions and for more interaction with peers or small group work based on shared career experience.

Recommending the programme

On the first training evaluation survey, following the Coaching and Job Skills workshops and ‘ReFresh’ week, returners were asked whether they would recommend the STEM ReCharge programme to other returners. This was answered by 41 returners out of the 95 (43%) who were engaged in the programme at this stage. The vast majority (98%) said they would recommend the programme. The remaining 2% said they did not know.

On the second training evaluation survey, following mentoring and the drop-in support sessions, returners were asked the same question again. This was answered by 42 out of the 91 (46%) who were engaged at this stage. The majority (93%) said they would still recommend the programme to other returners. A slightly greater proportion (5%) said they did not know when asked for the second time. 2% (all from cohort 1) said they would not recommend the programme to others.

Given a slightly smaller proportion of returners recommended the programme on the second training evaluation survey, this might suggest returners were slightly more satisfied with the Coaching and Job-Skills workshops and ReFresh weeks than with mentoring and drop-in support sessions. Though, it should be noted that only 43% and 46% of all returners responded to the first and second training survey respectively, and that it might have been different people who responded to each. As such, it is possible the perceived difference in satisfaction is explained by the small sample sizes and findings which are not reflective of all participating returners.

5.2 Training and support for employers

Main findings

Training and support for employers on STEM ReCharge included 3 online training sessions from June to July 2023 and 5 line manager drop-in support sessions from August 2023 to May 2024.

Overall, the programme achieved its target of training 30 employers, with 41 employers completing training.

All 41 employers completed at least 1 online training session and the majority who responded to the training evaluation survey (63%) reported engaging in all 3. The vast majority (97%) of employers who responded to the training evaluation survey reported they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the online training sessions.

Fewer employers engaged with the line manager drop-in support sessions compared with the online training sessions. On average, 2 employers attended each session.^{[footnote 61]} Reasons given by employers for not attending included having prior commitments and feeling the content was not relevant to their role.

This section presents evidence related to the training and support activities delivered for employers. Evidence presented relates to the activities that were undertaken and when (evaluation theme 1). In addition, findings are presented on employer engagement in and their experiences of training and support on the programme (evaluation theme 2).

The evidence used to inform this section includes programme monitoring data and survey data collected from employer participants, before training, during training and at the end of the programme.

Online training sessions

Understanding online training sessions

Employer training on the STEM ReCharge programme began with 3 online sessions delivered between June and July 2023. The overall content of the sessions was as follows:

‘The Business Case for Returners and Understanding Return to Work Pathways’ focussed on the value of hiring STEM returners and general ways to support returners back into work.
‘Creating De-Biased and Supportive Recruitment Processes for Returners’ focussed on flexible hiring practices and overcoming sector-focused recruitment challenges related to hiring returners.
‘Effective On-Boarding for STEM returners’ focussed on how to tailor the induction process for new returner employees, training for managers supporting returners, and an introduction to building returner support teams.

Online training sessions were delivered in 2 separate streams. One stream focussed on the technology sector and was led by training coaches trained by Career Returners. The other stream focussed on the engineering sector and was led by training coaches trained by STEM Returners.

The materials used in the online training sessions included case studies based on other employers who have already hired returners and on returners who have gone back to work. During sessions, training coaches aimed to tailor the information they gave to employers on how to hire returners and support them within their own organisational context. For example, coaches could outline how factors like business size affect the recruitment of returners.

Engagement with online training sessions

The programme aimed to train 30 employers through online training sessions. Given employers did not have to engage with every session, this target related to 30 employers having engaged in at least 1 session overall. The target was surpassed, with 41 employers engaging in at least 1 of the sessions.

Employers who completed online training sessions were asked which of the 3 sessions they engaged on the training evaluation survey. This survey was completed by 30 out of the 41 employers who participated (73%). The survey found:

most employers (63%) engaged with all 3 training sessions that were held
76% of the employers who engaged in sessions attended online in real time and 24% watched recordings of the training sessions
session 2 had the highest rate of non-engagement (23%), 17% of employers did not engage with session 3 and 7% did not engage with session 1

Table 5-1: For each training sessions, most employers attended live

Percentage of employers who attended training sessions live, watched a recording, or did not complete sessions

Training session	Percentage of employers who attended live	Percentage of employers who watched a recording	Percentage of employers who did not complete the session
1. The Business Case for Returners and Return to Work Pathways (Base=29)	69%	24%	7%
2. Create De-biased and Supportive Recruitment Processes for Returners (Base=30)	60%	17%	23%
3. Effective Onboarding for STEM Returners (Base=29)	62%	21%	17%

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to May 2024

In the training evaluation survey, employers who did not engage with all of the 3 online training sessions were asked if there were reasons why they did not engage. 55% of employers said they had not had time but intended to watch recordings later. 9% reported they did not engage with all 3 sessions because ‘they already had excellent knowledge of the content’ that was being covered.

A small number of employers gave other reasons for not attending all 3 sessions. These included feeling the content was not relevant or not having time but getting a colleague to attend on their behalf. Some reported they did not complete sessions because they could not find the recordings, or lost access to them.

Employer experiences of online training sessions

Employers who completed training were asked for feedback about their experiences in the

training evaluation survey. This was completed by 30 out of 41 employers who completed training (73%).

Overall, 97% of those who responded to the survey reported they were satisfied (60%) or very satisfied (37%) with the online training sessions. 3% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. No employers reported they were dissatisfied.

Employers were also asked to rate how useful they found each of the online training sessions that were held. They were asked to rate each out of 5, with 1 being not useful at all and 5 being extremely useful. The majority of employers who rated each session gave a rating of 4 out of 5 or higher (see Figure 5-3).^{[footnote 62]} 4% rated session 1 as 2 out of 5. None of the sessions received a rating of 1 out of 5.

Figure 5-3: The majority of employers rated the online training sessions a 4 out of 5 or higher in terms of how useful they found them

Percentage breakdown of how employers rated the usefulness of online training sessions

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to May 2024

Employers were furthermore asked whether they would recommend the STEM ReCharge training to other employers. All of the 29 employers who responded to this question said yes.

Employers were asked on the training evaluation survey how the sessions could be improved. Suggestions included having more practical tips on sourcing returner applicants and hearing more insights from other employers who have run returner support programmes as well as more insight directly from returners.^{[footnote 63]} While training sessions were designed to use employer and returner case studies, employer feedback suggests there may have been scope to enhance the depth of these.

Line manager drop-in support sessions

Understanding line manager drop-in support sessions

Following the online training sessions, 5 line manager drop-in sessions were held between August 2023 and May 2024. These were optional and designed to give employers regular opportunities to seek additional advice from training coaches about hiring and supporting returners in their organisation.

Engagement with line manager drop-in support sessions

On average, 2 employers out of 41 in the total cohort attended each line manager drop-in.^{[footnote 64]} As attendance was low at these sessions, Career Returners reached out to individual employers to offer one-to-one support. There was no take up of this offer. Employers were asked on the final programme survey why they did not attend drop-in sessions. Career Returners summarised responses given, which included having prior commitments or feeling the content was not suited to their role.^{[footnote 65]}

Employer experiences of line manager drop-in support sessions

In an end of programme survey, employers were also asked how useful they found the line manager drop-in support sessions. Out of the 17 employers who gave a rating, the majority (59%) found the sessions useful (35%) or very useful (24%). The rest found the sessions somewhat (24%) or slightly useful (18%). No employers who responded found the sessions not useful at all. It should be noted some employers who gave a rating might not have attended any sessions.

Question 6

6.  Perceived outcomes

Accepted Answer

6.1 Perceived outcomes for returners

Main findings

Most (76%) returners who responded to the final survey said STEM ReCharge had helped them in their return to work journey. The majority reported they felt satisfied with their CVs (95%) and LinkedIn profiles (74%). Other positive self-reported outcomes include returners feeling more confident about articulating strengths, performing well at interviews and returning to the workplace after the programme compared to the start.

Some barriers to returning to work remained, the most common of which was a lack of suitable roles being available. This was reported by 43% of those who responded to the final survey.

Despite most (63%) returners feeling confident about performing well at interviews, the inability to secure an interview was the second most common barrier to returning (reported by 34% of returners). However, not as many returners reported being unsuccessful after interviews (13%).

The third most common barrier to returning was a lack of professional confidence, though the proportion of returners who identified this as a barrier after the programme (26%) was lower than at the start (45%).

All of the 47 returners who responded to the final programme survey were either employed (32%),^{[footnote 66]} applying or intending to apply for jobs (60%) or in further study or volunteering (8%). 80% of those who were employed had arranged flexible working arrangements with their employer.

This section presents evidence on the perceived outcomes for returners who completed the STEM ReCharge programme. Perceived outcomes are assessed based on returners’ self-reported attitudes which are subjective. This includes evidence on how prepared and confident returners felt about going back to work and their perception of barriers to returning, before and after the programme (evaluation theme 2).

The evidence used to inform this section comes from survey data collected from returner participants on their application forms and on an end of the programme survey. Application form data was collected from 97 returners who started the programme, 7 people who subsequently withdrew. The end of programme survey was completed by 47 returners out of the 90 who completed the programme (52%), findings might not represent all participating returners as a result.

Preparation to return to work

STEM ReCharge aimed to help returners prepare to return to work in a number of ways, including by providing training on updating CVs and LinkedIn profiles when making job applications. Evidence suggests returners who completed the programme were more prepared to return to work in these ways than all returners were at the start of the programme.

Updated CVs

Among returners who completed the programme, a greater proportion had an updated CV they felt somewhat or very satisfied with compared to all returners at the start of the programme (see Figure 6-1). Just 2% of those who completed the programme were not at all satisfied with their CVs and only 2% did not have an updated CV at all.

Figure 6-1: Most returners who completed the end of programme survey had an updated CV they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with

Percentage breakdown of returners’ satisfaction with their CVs, before and after the programme

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 46 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Updated LinkedIn profiles

Among returners who completed the programme, 74% had a LinkedIn Profile they were somewhat or very satisfied with. This is in comparison to 53% of all returners at the start of the programme. 13% of returners who completed the programme were still not at all satisfied with their LinkedIn profiles and 13% did not have a LinkedIn profile at all.

Figure 6-2: Most returners who completed the end of programme survey had a LinkedIn profile they were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with

Percentage breakdown of returners’ satisfaction with their LinkedIn profiles, before and after the programme

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 46 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Confidence in returning to work

Before and after the programme, returners were asked how confident they felt about returning to the workplace, articulating their strengths, performing well at interviews, and discussing flexible working options. After completing the programme, the proportion who reported they were confident or very confident was greater in most of these areas.

Returning to the workplace

When it came to returning to the workplace, the proportion of returners who completed the programme who felt confident or very confident was 60%, compared to 50% of returners at the start of the programme (see Figure 6-3).

A slightly smaller proportion were very confident after completing the programme which could suggest that training slightly increased trepidation or reduced false confidence for some. Though it should be noted that given the low response rate, small sample sizes and possible unobserved differences between those who responded and those who did not, findings might not reflect views of all returners.

After completing the programme, 11% of returners reported they were not confident about returning to the workplace. This is slightly lower than the proportion who were not confident at the start (15%).

Figure 6-3: Most returners who completed the end of programme survey felt confident about returning to the workplace. 11% of returners were not confident

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated their confidence in returning to the workplace, before and after the programme^{[footnote 67]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 47 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Performing well at interviews

The biggest difference in confidence between people who started and completed the programme was in performing well at interviews - the proportion who felt confident or very confident at the start was 36% compared to 63% at the end.

Figure 6-4: Most returners who completed the end of programme survey felt confident about performing well at interviews

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated their confidence in performing well at interviews, before and after the programme^{[footnote 68]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 47 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Articulating strengths

By the end of the programme, the area where returners’ confidence was greatest overall was in articulating their strengths. 67% said they felt confident or very confident in this regard after the programme, compared to 44% before.

Figure 6-5: Confidence in articulating strengths was greater among those who completed the programme than all those who started

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated their confidence in articulating their strengths, before and after the programme^{[footnote 69]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 47 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Discussing flexible working

Returners’ confidence in discussing flexible working options after completing the programme remained similar to reported levels before the programme. 52% of those who completed the programme reported they were confident or very confident compared to 50% of all returners at the start. A slightly smaller proportion were very confident after (11% compared to 15% at the start).

A smaller proportion of returners who completed the programme reported not being confident in discussing flexible working (7%) compared to all returners at the start (18%).

Figure 6-6: Confidence in discussing flexible working was similar among returners before and after the programme

Percentage breakdown of how returners rated their confidence in discussing flexible working, before and after the programme^{[footnote 70]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 47 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Barriers to returning

Returners were asked what the most significant barriers they faced in trying to return to work, before and after the programme. For this, returners were able to select more than one barrier. The 3 most common barriers were the same before and after: lack of suitable roles, feeling unable to secure an interview and lack of professional confidence.

The most common barrier facing returners who completed the programme was a lack of suitable roles. This was identified by 43% of returners. 17% also reported a ‘lack of flexible roles’ as a barrier.

Despite returners reporting greater confidence in being able to perform well at interviews, 34% of returners who completed the programme reported they were unable to secure an interview. The proportion who said they had not been selected after interviews was smaller (13%).

Lack of professional confidence remained a barrier for just over one-quarter (26%) of returners who completed this programme. This is less than the proportion who reported this as a barrier at the start (45%).

Following the programme, a greater proportion of returners experienced no barriers at all (9%) than at the start (2%) and the proportion who had not tried to return to work was smaller among those who completed the programme (6%) than among all returners at the start (20%).

9% of returners reported other barriers after the programme related to age discrimination.

Figure 6-7: Lack of suitable roles, inability to secure an interview and lack of professional confidence were the most common barriers to returning to work for returners, at the start and end of the programme

Barriers to returning to work and the percentage of returners who experienced them, before and after the programme

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base at the start of the programme: 96 returners who started training. Base at the end of the programme: 47 returners who completed the end of programme survey.

Progress in returning to work

Overall, when asked whether the STEM ReCharge programme had helped in their return to work journey, 76% of returners said yes. 12% said no and 12% said they did not know.

Following the programme, 15 out of the 47 (32%) returners who completed the final survey reported they were employed. It is not known if these returners were employed in jobs which suited their skill level and past experience.

It should also be noted that 15 returners reported they were employed in lower paid or lower skilled work at the start of the programme. It is not known how many of the people in employment after the programme were also employed at the start, or if any of those who were employed at the start either withdrew from the programme or left their jobs that were lower paid or skilled and moved into other categories.

12 of those who reported they were employed were from cohort 1 and 3 were from cohort 2. This could reflect that cohort 1 completed the final survey 3 months after they completed training and support activities, while cohort 2 did so 2 months after. The fact that more returners from cohort 1 reported having found jobs might reflect the fact that cohort 1 had more time to look for work at that stage than cohort 2.

23 out of the 47 (49%) returners who responded to the end of programme survey reported they were at different stages of the recruitment process, either actively applying for jobs, interviewing or onboarding. There were 5 (11%) returners who were not actively applying for jobs but intended to and 4 (8%) were in further studying or volunteering. No one reported they were not intending to apply for a job, undertake further study or volunteer.

Flexible working arrangements

Of the 15 returners who were employed, 53% were employed on a permanent contract and 47% on a temporary or fixed term contract. 73% of returners worked full time and 27% were part-time. 80% had some kind of flexible working arrangement, the most common being hybrid working. Out of those with some kind of flexible arrangement, 60% had jobs with hybrid working. Other flexible working arrangements included home working and staggered or flexible start and finishing times.

Returner employment by sector

33% of returners who were employed were working in the technology sector and 20% in engineering. The other 47% of returners worked in other sectors, which were health, education, environment, logistics and administrative. By comparison, 2% of returners wanted to explore returning to work in sectors other than technology or engineering when they started the programme. It is unclear whether career aspirations changed or whether limited availability of technology and engineering roles led to some returners finding jobs in other sectors.

It should be noted the above self-reported employment outcomes are for those who completed the end of programme survey, which was only 52% of the 90 who completed the programme. The employment outcomes for the other 48% of returners are unknown. Moreover, the end of programme survey was conducted shortly after returners completed the programme,^{[footnote 71]} meaning employment outcomes for respondents may have changed since.

6.2 Employers

Main findings

Employers reported increased knowledge of how to hire and support returners after the training. Most rated their knowledge levels as 2 out of 5 before training, compared to 4 out of 5 after training.

Employers also reported greater confidence in their ability to hire and support returners after training. 22% of employers reported feeling confident before, compared to 66% saying they felt confident or very confident after.

After the programme, the majority (88%) of employers had either already implemented supportive policies for returners or had plans to introduce these.

Out of 20 employers who responded to the final programme survey, 2 (10%) had hired returners since completing training. The most common reasons for not hiring returners were that they had not advertised jobs targeting returners (given by 47% of employers) and that returners had not applied for jobs they had advertised (given by 24% of employers).

This section presents evidence on the perceived outcomes for employers who completed the STEM ReCharge programme. Perceived outcomes are assessed based on employers’ self reported attitudes which are subjective. This includes evidence on employer’s knowledge of how, confidence in, and willingness to hire and support returners, before and after the programme (evaluation theme 2).

The evidence used to inform this section comes from survey data collected from participating employers on pre-training surveys, end of training evaluation surveys, and on end of programme surveys. Pre-training data was collected from 45 employers who registered for training. End of training data was collected from 30 out of the 41 who completed training (73%) and end of programme data from 20 out of the 41 who completed the programme (49%).

Knowledge of hiring and supporting returners

Before and after training, employers reported their knowledge of hiring returners a rating from 1 to 5, where 1 is no knowledge and 5 is excellent knowledge. Specifically, employers rated their knowledge based on:

the full business case for hiring returners
return-to-work pathways (supported hiring or retraining for returners))
personal and structural challenges for returners
how to adapt advertising and attraction for returners
how to adapt application processes for returners
how to adapt interviews and assessments for returners

Across all aspects, those who had completed training rated their knowledge of hiring returners more highly compared to employers who had not begun training, at the start of the programme. At the start, most employers rated their knowledge as 2 out of 5 for each aspect. By comparison, after training, most employers gave a rating of 4 out of 5.

Employers also rated their knowledge of supporting returners at work before and after training, based on:

understanding the psychological transition stages of a returner joiner
structuring a returner induction
understanding the key components of a returner support team
understanding how a line manager can practically support a returner

Across all aspects, employers who had completed training also rated their knowledge of supporting returners more highly than employers who had not begun training. Before training, most employers rated their knowledge as 2 out of 5 for each aspect. By comparison, after training, most gave a rating of 4 out of 5.

Confidence in hiring and supporting returners

Employers were asked how confident they felt in their organisation’s ability to hire and support returners, before and after training. On average, confidence was greater after the programme, among those who had completed training, compared to at the start, among those who had yet to undergo training.

In terms of their ability to hire returners, the majority of those who completed training were either confident (53%) or very confident (13%). By comparison, at the start of the programme, no employers felt very confident and just 22% felt confident.

Figure 6-8: 66% of employers who completed training felt confident or very confident in their organisation’s ability to hire returners

Percentage breakdown of employers’ confidence in their ability to hire returners, before and after completing training^{[footnote 72]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base before training: 45 employers who completed the pre-training survey. Base after training: 30 employers who completed the training evaluation survey.

Similarly, in terms of their ability to support returners, the majority of employers who completed training were either confident (53%) or very confident (13%). By comparison, at the start of the programme, no employers felt very confident and just 22% felt confident.

Figure 6-9: Confidence in their ability to support returners was greater among employers who completed training than all employers at the start

Percentage breakdown of employers’ confidence in their ability to support returners in their organisation, before and after completing training^{[footnote 73]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base before training: 45 employers who completed the pre-training survey. Base after training: 30 employers who completed the training evaluation survey.

Approach to hiring and supporting returners after the programme

Employers were asked about their organisation’s approach to hiring and supporting returners since completing the programme, on the end of programme survey. Out of the 20 employers who responded to the survey:

2 employers (10%) said their organisation had hired returners in their organisation since completing the programme
2 employers (10%) said they did not know if their organisation had hired returners
16 employers (80%) said their organisation had not hired any returners since completing the programme

Employers who had not hired any returners were asked why they had not been able to. The most common reason, given by 47% of employers, was that their organisation had not advertised any jobs targeting returners. The second most common reason, given by 24%, was that no returners had applied for jobs they had advertised.

Other reasons given related to broader organisational issues which were not specifically related to returners. For instance, 12% said they had not advertised any jobs at all, 12% gave other reasons, which were related to having limited roles in their organisation or feeling their business was not ready to support returners.

A small proportion (6%) of employers reported they had hired better candidates who were not returners.

Figure 6-10: The most common reason why employers had not hired returners was because their organisation had not advertised jobs targeting returners

Reasons for not hiring returners since completing the programme and the percentage of employers who gave these reasons^{[footnote 74]}

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base: 17 employers who completed the end of programme survey.

The end of programme survey also asked whether employers’ organisations had implemented any of the policies aimed at supporting returners in recruitment or in work, that had been recommended during training. The policies employers were asked about were:

including welcoming language on relevant job descriptions, for example “We welcome returner applicants”
including CVs without recent experience in short-lists of candidates
exploring with hiring managers if jobs are suitable for candidates without recent experience
targeting recruitment towards returners
adapting the interview process to support returner applicants, for example by not asking for recent examples of work experience
running a returner programme
providing additional transition support to returner joiners, for example by providing mentors, buddies, coaching
including returners in discussions regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

On average, 47% of employers said their organisation had adopted each policy. However, on average, 63% of those who said they had implemented a supportive policy had done so before training and 37% did so after. This equates to 28 policies aimed at hiring and supporting returners being introduced across the cohort of employers after they completed the programme.

41% of employers said they had not introduced any of the policies yet but had plans to do so. The remaining 12% of employers said they had not introduced any of the policies and had no plans to. It is not known whether these employers were doing other things to support returners or whether their organisations faced certain barriers to implementing the policies the programme recommended.

The most common policies, which had been implemented by 65% of employers surveyed, were including CVs without recent experience in short-lists of candidates and including returners in discussions regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Furthermore, 25% of employers said they run returner support programmes.

The least common policy adopted by employers was ‘targeting recruitment towards returners’ with only 15% of employers reporting doing this.

The end of programme survey also asked employers how confident they felt in their ability to hire and support returners in the future. The majority (55%) felt confident and 10% were very confident. 35% said they were somewhat or slightly confident. No employer reported not feeling confident at all. Overall, this indicates employers who completed the STEM ReCharge programme show signs of feeling capable and willing to hire and support returners.

Figure 6-11: Most employers who completed the programme felt confident in their organisation’s ability to hire and support returners in the future

Percentage breakdown of employer’s confidence in their ability to hire and support returners in the future after completing the programme

Source: STEM ReCharge Programme data up to June 2024. Base: 20 employers who completed the end of programme survey.

Question 7

7.  Conclusions and recommendations

Accepted Answer

This report has presented the findings from the evaluation of the STEM ReCharge programme. The evaluation had the following objectives:

to understand the programme’s aims and how it was delivered
to assess initial indicators of returners being supported to go back to work
to assess initial indicators of employers being encouraged to hire and support returners

This section presents conclusions answering each evaluation objective. Recommendations are provided based on the conclusions.

Initial indicators of returning being supported to go back to work and employers being encouraged to hire and support returners are based on participants’ self-reported attitudes after the programme. It should be noted that these are subjective, external influencing factors were not controlled for and there was no comparison group of returners and employers outside of the programme. As such, perceived outcomes for participants cannot be attributed to the programme. Findings of the report cannot be used to determine the impact of the programme.

It should also be noted the evaluation was carried out shortly after the completion of the STEM ReCharge programme. Long-term outcomes, including employment outcomes for returners, are yet to be realised. Cost benefit analysis of the programme should be avoided as a result. Objectives 2 and 3 do highlight initial perceived outcomes based on participants’ self-reported attitudes.

Objective 1: Programme aims and delivery

After delivery, STEM ReCharge exceeded its overall aim to train 80 returners and 30 employers, with 90 returners and 41 employers completing the programme.

There was some variance in the onboarding process and delivery of support activities across the 2 returner training cohorts. The number and content of mentor meetings for returners also varied based on their assigned mentor. This may have impacted engagement during onboarding and experiences of support.

The volume of applications to the programme would suggest there is notable demand for training from returners and employers. For employer training, most interest was from larger businesses which might suggest there are particular barriers to engagement in training programmes for small and medium sized businesses.

Initial interest in the programme did not always translate into an ability to take part as was seen in the many of those who were eligible and invited to join disengaging during onboarding. The rate was lower however when additional outreach activities were conducted during onboarding for returners cohort 2.

Most training activities sustained strong engagement and were met with high satisfaction. There may be scope to improve delivery of support after training since the optional drop-in support sessions were less popular among participants. Given lower demand for these sessions and that many participants were busy when they ran, it might be effective to schedule support sessions as and when they are required. This would ensure those who wish support can access it at a suitable time.

Objective 2: Supporting returners to go back to work

STEM ReCharge was designed to support returners to go back to work which suited their past experience and skills. Based on early evidence collected between 1 to 3 months after the programme, some progress has been towards this aim.^{[footnote 75]}

Returners who completed the programme reported feeling more prepared and confident to re-enter the workforce. All of the 47 returners who responded to the final programme survey were either employed (32%), applying or intending to apply for jobs (60%) or in further study or volunteering (8%). These positive initial signs could indicate more returners could secure jobs which suit their past experience and skills in the longer term.

There were certain challenges that remained after the programme. A lack of suitable roles was a persistent barrier to returning for many, suggesting additional support with identifying work opportunities might be needed.

There also remained a degree of difficulty in securing interviews for some even though the majority of returners felt confident about performing well at interviews. This might suggest more could be done to make the early stages of recruitment more accessible for returners.

Some returners also felt they still lacked professional confidence after the programme. It is possible that fully restoring confidence after a career break lasting 12 months or more may require longer term support.

At the start of the programme, 15 returners reported they were employed but in work that was lower paid or lower skilled compared to roles they held before their career break. At the end of the programme 15 returners were also employed although these are not necessarily the same people or the same people in the same roles as before. 2 employers had recruited returners since they completed the programme indicating some initial progress in securing new, or better, roles for returners following the programme. This only accounts for recruitment immediately after the programme. More time would be needed for employment outcomes to be observed before sustained outcomes from the programme can be understood.

Objective 3: Encouraging employers to hire and support returners

STEM ReCharge was designed to encourage employers to hire and support returners in their organisations. Based on early evidence collected immediately after the programme, some progress has been made towards this objective.

Employers who completed STEM ReCharge reported increased knowledge and confidence in hiring and supporting returners. The majority had also implemented or planned to implement supportive policies for returners.

Out of the 20 employers who responded to the final survey, 2 (10%) had hired returners since completing training though this only accounts for hiring practices immediately after the programme. More time would be needed for changes in hiring practices to be observed to account for variation in recruitment needs between employers in the short term. Early evidence shows employers feel more capable and willing to hire returners after the programme which could indicate they may hire more returners in the future.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: organisations should use learning of what works to inform their own return to work programmes

Evidence from the evaluation of STEM ReCharge and of previous returner programmes suggests people trying to go back to work following care breaks can feel better prepared after they receive return to work support.^{[footnote 76]} For sectors like STEM where there is a need for skills, return to work programmes might be particularly beneficial by harnessing the potential of those who have relevant experience and want to work.^{[footnote 77]}

This report recommends other organisations could use learning from the evaluation of STEM ReCharge to inform the design of their own return to work support programmes for returners and employers across the UK, focussing on sectors facing skills shortages.

To ensure training for returners is aligned with sector needs, there may be benefits of strong buy-in from large employers in programme design and operation. Individual employers might even consider possible benefits of running internal apprenticeship style programmes for returners. Such schemes might help overcome challenges facing returners in gaining professional confidence and finding suitable roles after training.

Fewer small and medium sized businesses engaged in STEM ReCharge and there may be particular barriers to engagement in training programmes for smaller businesses. To ensure businesses of all sizes can learn how to hire and support returners, organisations and larger employers could consider sharing tips of best practice within their networks or umbrella organisations.

Recommendation 3: future programmes should be evaluated to enable ongoing improvements

Any organisation planning to run its own return to work programmes should plan to carry out a programme evaluation to understand what is working well and what could be improved. Evaluations could assess how the programme is being delivered, its short and long term outcomes and its value for money. Any learnings from the evaluation can be used to adapt programme delivery to ensure it is running effectively and efficiently.

Such evaluations could be done:

after the first year of the programme to understand how delivery has gone and whether there are improvements that could be made
over the longer term to understand how successful a programme is in supporting returners to go back to work as well as the costs and benefits of the programme

Question 8

8.  References

Accepted Answer

Campaign for Science and Engineering, The Skills Opportunity: Building a more innovative UK (2023)

Ethnicity facts and figures, UK population by ethnicity (accessed 2024)

Women and Equalities Unit (formerly Government Equalities Office), Return to Social Work Programme: evaluation report (2022)

Women and Equalities Unit (formerly Government Equalities Office), Returners Grant Fund Evaluation: Grant Fund Report (2021)

ONS, Annual population survey (APS) QMI (2012) (Accessed 9 September 2023)

STEM Returners, The STEM Returners Index (2023)

STEM Returners, The STEM Returners Index (2022)

STEM Women, Women In STEM Statistics: Progress and Challenges (2023)

Question 9

Abbreviations

Accepted Answer

OEO: Office for Equality and Opportunity (formerly the Equality Hub)

STEM: Science, technology, engineering and maths

TOC: Theory of change

APS: Annual Population Survey

SOC: Standard Occupational Classification

ONS: Office for National Statistics

WISE: Women into Science and Engineering Campaign

Question 10

Acknowledgements

Accepted Answer

The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) would like to thank the programme managers, Career Returners and STEM Returners, for their diligent work in delivering the STEM ReCharge programme and for their invaluable support throughout the evaluation.

OEO would also like to thank all STEM ReCharge programme participants, including returners and employers, who gave their time to complete surveys as part of the evaluation.

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1. Executive summary

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Main findings for returners

Theme 1: Understanding programme delivery

Theme 2: Returner engagement

Theme 3: Perceived outcomes for returners

1.3 Main findings for employers

Theme 1: Understanding programme delivery

Theme 2: Employer engagement

Theme 3: Perceived outcomes for employers

1.4 Conclusions

Objective 1: Programme aims and delivery

Objective 2: Supporting returners to go back to work

Objective 3: Encouraging employers to hire and support returners

1.5 Recommendations

Recommendation 1: organisations should use learning of what works to inform their own return to work programmes

Recommendation 2: create opportunities to share good practice within employer networks

Recommendation 3: future programmes should be evaluated to enable ongoing improvements

2. Introduction

2.1 Background and context

2.2 About the programme

Design

2.3 About the evaluation

Quantitative and qualitative survey data

Programme output monitoring

Limitations

Quantitative and qualitative survey data

Programme output monitoring

Intervention fidelity and dosage

Lack of external validity

Possible external influences

3. The recruitment campaign

Main findings

3.1 Understanding the recruitment campaign

Social media campaign

Career Returners’ Professional Network

Press campaign

Employer Insight Events

3.2 Engagement following the recruitment campaign

STEM ReCharge web page views

Returner applications

Ineligible applications

Employer engagement

4. Onboarding

4.1 Onboarding for returners

Main findings

Understanding the onboarding process

Engagement with the onboarding process

Participating returners

Personal characteristics

Caring responsibilities

Confidence in, and barriers to, returning

4.2 Onboarding for employers

Main findings

Understanding the onboarding process

Engagement with the onboarding process

Employer characteristics

Demographics

Experience of working with returners

Attitudes to hiring and supporting returners

5. Training and support

5.1 Training and support for returners

Main findings

Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Understanding Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Engagement with Coaching and Job Skills workshops

Returner experiences at Coaching and Job Skills workshops

ReFresh week

Understanding ReFresh week

Engagement with ReFresh weeks

Returner experiences at ReFresh weeks

Mentoring

Understanding mentoring

Engagement in mentoring

Returner experiences of mentoring

Drop-in support sessions

Understanding drop-in support sessions

Engagement in drop-in support sessions

Quotes from programme training coaches about engagement at the drop-in support sessions