How Returnships Help Women in Tech Return to the Workforce

Mashable
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How Returnships Help Women in Tech Return to the Workforce-giving compass

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Asha Vade reports that returnships are helping parents enter back into the workforce by offering training programs and skill-building to reacquaint them with what they’ve missed. 

• How can philanthropists partner with businesses to make workforce re-entry programs more prolific? Can businesses start to provide training directly?

• This video series follows top women in technology jobs and highlights their growing presence in tech. 

I had made the decision to leave my technical project manager position in order to better support my family.  I knew I didn’t want to lose the best years with my child, who now needed me to be present in the moment, to be engaged, to have energy. But when I made the difficult decision to take a break, I never imagined that my career wouldn’t be waiting for me when I was ready to return.

As I hit the pause button on my professional life, I planned to return to work when the time was right. But once I started my job hunt, I realized I had a harder road ahead of me.

Many working parents face re-entry issues, but the challenge can be more pronounced in the tech industry. According to research by AnitaB.org and the Michelle R. Clayman Institute, “the mid-level is perhaps the most critical juncture for women on the technical career ladder because it is here that a complex set of gender barriers converge.”

The pipeline for women in technology to senior-level roles has a leak. Many companies are taking an innovative approach to supporting women in the workplace, especially women in the technology industry, through a new kind of initiative: “returnships.”

Returnships are a type of internship program that provides a way for organizations to recruit and on-board mid-career men and women who have taken a break in their careers and want to re-enter the workforce.  The nice part of returnships? You’re not starting at the bottom of your career all over again; instead, your skills and past experience are recognized as a part of the program for you to build from.

Read the full article about returnships by Asha Vade at Mashable. 

Learning and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact on Global Poverty take a look at these selections from Giving Compass.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    South By Social: Why Austin Is the Capital of Impact Entrepreneurship

    This time of year, people from all over the country don their best hipster duds, dust off their cowboy boots and descend on Austin, Texas, for SXSW (pro tip: just call it “South by”). The smorgasbord of panels, films, events and concerts every spring has elevated Austin’s national reputation as a hub for technology, breakfast tacos, and great craft beer. But visitors might miss Austin’s year-round vibe as an emerging center of enterprise-driven social innovation. Long a hub for technology innovation — starting with the founding of Dell in 1984  —  Austin is now also a hub for social innovation. The city’s economic and population growth over the last two decades has given rise to a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. The city’s progressive culture and community obsession with supporting small business (“keep Austin weird”), has a long history of creating socially-minded business  — Austin did, after all, birth Whole Foods. Many of the city’s entrepreneurs are bent on building organizations that will change the world for the better. Austin denizens boldly envision a world-renowned capital for live music and social innovation. By bringing together human and financial capital, innovative models and a commitment to collaboration, Austin provides an approach to inclusive growth other cities can learn from. Read the full article about Austin as the capital of entrepreneurship by Amy Bell at ImpactAlpha.

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