Frequently Asked Questions
What is the STEM Reentry Task Force?
The STEM Reentry Task Force is an initiative to increase the number of technical women in the STEM sector by providing support to women who are returning from a career break. It is designed to cause an institutional shift in the way employers engage with return-to-work professionals, using professional internships sometimes called “returnships” or “return-to-work” programs as the primary vehicle in programs aiming to hire women after career breaks. Some of the Task Force member programs are “direct hire” programs – in which return-to-work professionals are placed into full time positions (without a formal returnship) but instead receive transitional support in the form of mentoring, and participation in a cohort of return-to-work professionals going through the program at the same time. The STEM Reentry Task force was formed in 2015 through a partnership between The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the world’s largest advocate for women in engineering and technology, and iRelaunch, the leading and most comprehensive career return-to-work resource. In the last 4 years, 44 companies have joined the Task Force, 24 have launched their own programs, over 1,000 returning technical professionals have participated with an 86% hire rate.
Why are return-to-work programs important?
Return-to-work programs are emerging as a special category of progressive action for employers re-integrating professionals back into the workforce at a later life stage, and a powerful return-to-work strategy for individuals. These programs create a formal pathway to employment for returning professionals.
Return-to-work programs give employers the opportunity to connect with high caliber returning professionals at a moment when their childcare, eldercare or other career break responsibilities are reduced or over, and the candidate is ready to fully re-engage in the workforce. The programs also enable employers to increase the number of mid- to senior-level women in their ranks.
Where do the return-to-work programs take place?
TaskForce return-to-work opportunities are offered in cities and states across the U.S., in parts of Canada and some international locations.
Are these opportunities only for women?
Although the mission of the Task Force is to increase the number of women in technical roles, men are eligible to apply and participate in Task Force company programs.
How can I be considered for an opportunity through the STEM Reentry Task Force?
Visit careers.swe.org to upload your resume, flag your resume as “STEM Reentry” and sign up to be notified by email when new opportunities are available. Sign up for notifications via the form on the Reentry Task Force homepage.
How can the STEM Reentry Task Force help me?
Returning to the workforce after a career break can be difficult – industries evolve, skill sets shift and you compete with other candidates who do not have gaps in their resumes. Furthermore, your own work interests may have changed, affecting what type of position and industry you may find to be a good fit. The STEM Reentry Task Force aims to support women who are returning from a career break by providing insight and support, as well as opportunities to explore career possibilities through these return-to-work programs in the STEM industry. These return-to-work programs allow women returning to work to explore various opportunities and re-discover their own skill sets and interests that will translate into a full-time successful career.
What is The Society of Women Engineers?
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and receive the recognition and credit for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.
The Society of Women Engineers has more than 40,000 professional and collegiate members, each with a goal to be a resource to other women in engineering and to use the SWE network to support their professional and personal aspirations. Supporting women at all career stages aligns with the mission at SWE, and putting women back in the working world of STEM, where gender diversity is greatly needed, is a key initiative at SWE.
For more information about the Society please visit swe.org or call 312.596.5223.
What is iRelaunch?
iRelaunch is the pioneering, global, full-service career reentry company dedicated to enabling professionals to resume their careers after extended leave. Thousands of professionals have relaunched their careers successfully because of iRelaunch’s work to guide and support them in this effort.
iRelaunch is the trusted partner for employers building career reentry programs to hire from the high caliber relaunching talent pool. iRelaunch has been driving innovation in career reentry programming for nearly two decades and is the recognized thought leader in the field. This stems from the deep understanding of the relauncher pool and the employers looking to hire this talent.
iRelaunch provides tools, resources, career reentry events, outreach about career reentry programs, relauncher job opportunities and more to support the iRelaunch community of over 125,000 relaunchers.
The iRelaunch Return to Work Conference is the largest and longest running career reentry event in the U.S. which is quickly going global. Bringing together thousands of relaunchers with employers looking to hire them, the Conference is a leading source of candidates for employer career reentry programs. iRelaunch also convenes its growing employer community once a year at the iRelaunch Employer Summit. The only one of its kind, the Summit is the premier forum focused on best practices for employers recruiting and hiring relaunchers.
The STEM Reentry Task Force is the result of the long running collaboration between the Society of Women Engineers and iRelaunch, through which 44 employers have joined to launch their career reentry programs. Nearly 1,000 relaunchers have participated in Task Force employer programs.