By making the choice to invest in returners for your tech team, you can demonstrate the work you’ve done to support gender equality…
Is your company struggling to fill tech roles? Chances are, you probably answered yes to that question, with almost all tech employers reporting a ‘skills shortage’. Consequently, plenty of roles are sitting unfilled.
The truth is that there’s an untapped pool of tech talent out there that most of recruiters have bypassed. These people are driven, they’re experienced, and they’re passionate, but the dealbreaker they face is often the stigma that surrounds their career break.
In reality, there are many reasons you should make the decision to invest in returners, through programmes like our own. So let’s dive in…
The cost of an unfilled role
Our own research shows that the average cost of just one tech vacancy is around £9,000 a year. Multiply that by however many roles you’re struggling to fill, and things starts to look pretty bleak.
To invest in returners (the thousands of people who wish to return to the tech industry) would mean reducing that deficit with each person you take on board.
Diversifying your tech
It’s not just about the money, of course. Our hiring partners know how impactful the perspective of returner talent can be on their development teams. Mariot Chauvin, Director of Engineering at The Guardian says that ignoring the lack of tech diversity can lead to the production of “non-inclusive technical solutions” that “reinforce existing bias”.
Along with their diverse and underrepresented perspective, returners are also armed with fresh skills and expertise. 72% of women returners are proficient in agile development, and almost 1 in 4 have leadership experience.
All our returners complete a comprehensive eight-week course, bringing them up to speed with current engineering processes and new developments in their specified coding language. We all know how fast the tech industry moves and how crucial it is to avoid falling behind that evolution. You’re safe in the knowledge that every one of our returners is bringing up-to-date skills with them.
Walking the gender equality walk
Do you create snazzy social media posts for Women’s Day? Does your company take concrete steps to support women and reduce gender inequality?
By investing in returners for your tech team, you can demonstrate the work you’ve done to support gender equality, and you could even reduce your gender pay gap. After all, who wants to be left red-faced when an actual Twitter bot calls their company out in a viral ‘Gender Pay Gap’ campaign on Women’s Day?
You’re in good company
Don’t just take our word for it. The likes of The Guardian, BAE Systems DI, and our latest partner Checkout.com have sponsored successful returner programmes with us.
Listen to their stories, and the positive impact it has on returners lives over on our YouTube channel.
“Here I am, living my dream, thanks to Tech Returners.” Huma, 2022 returner
