The goals of the workstream are to:
- Build the confidence of our member firms in taking their own returner initiatives. Hiring career returners should ultimately become business as usual.
- Promote career returners as including all genders, races and ethnicities.
- Promote the Investment and Savings Industry as a industry of choice to potential career returners.
- Boost confidence of potential returners to our industry.
Our priorities are to:
- Track and measure the success of our third cross-company returners programme and to launch a fourth programme either at the end of the year or part way through if demand should exist from employee firms.
- Offer follow-up training for those candidates who are unsuccessful in securing roles.
- Explore launching a mentoring programme for potential returners to our industry.
- Ensure website materials remain up-to-date and relevant.
- Continue to highlight to the industry the many different ways that returners can be brought (back) into our industry.
Since 2020, the Diversity Project has partnered with Women Returners, the Return to Work Specialists, to deliver the Diversity Project: Cross-Company Returner Programme, a 6-month returnship. The aim of the programme is to increase diversity in gender, ethnicity, age and experience within the Investment and Savings Sector. It is an opportunity for Diversity Project members to benefit from an experienced talent pool of professionals and to collaborate to drive the diversity agenda at a sector level.
The programme targets experienced professionals who have taken a career break of 18 months or more. It is a fully supported route back to work, including the coaching delivered as a cohort providing cross-company peer support network, an internal mentor and a buddy.
Applications for 2023 are open until 21st May 2023. Want to find out more? Click here.
The 2023 Cross-Company Returners Programme in partnership with Women Returners has a seven firms offering returnerships: abrdn, AXA Investment Managers, Fidelity International, Hayfin, Mercer, Mubadala Capital, and PGIM. If you are interested in opportunities at these firms, head to the programme’s webpage here.
The programme will run in London and surrounding areas and is targeted at experienced professionals looking to return to work after an extended career break of 18 months or more (as at September 2023). The programme is aimed at individuals who are interested in returning to a role in the Savings and Investment Sector. Participants will join via a 6-month returnship, with the strong likelihood of a permanent role at the end of the programme.
In 2021, 86% of the 20 returners secured permanent roles.
In the pilot in 2020, we had five participating organisations and 11 returners that were primarily placed in front office roles and also included project and change management. The programme was successful for both the participating organisations and the returners, with 9 out of 11 returners securing permanent employment at the end of the programme.
Find out more about the 2023 programme here.
