BAM has launched a new employment programme in partnership with return-to-work specialists STEM Returners.
Launched ahead of International Women’s Day, the partnership will support engineers and other specialists returning to work following a career break. The 12-week placement programme will be based in BAM’s Northern Region with the first role based on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) project in North Yorkshire.
EGL2 is a ground-breaking 2-gigawatt high voltage direct current electrical ‘superhighway,’ that will connect Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Drax in North Yorkshire, England, delivered as a joint venture by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET).
STEM Returners will source the candidates and provide career coaching and mentoring throughout the paid placement. At the end of the programme, returners may be offered the opportunity to become permanent employees.
Research from STEM Returners (STEM Returners Index) has found that many people face challenges when returning to work following a career break, with recruitment bias against a lack of recent experience as well as gender, age and race as the main barriers to entry. For example, half (51%) of respondents said a perceived lack of recent experience was a barrier to entry, an increase from 38% in the 2023 Index and more than a quarter (26%) of women said they felt they have personally experienced bias in the recruitment process due to their gender compared to eight per cent of men.
STEM Returners aim to eliminate these barriers by giving candidates real work experience and mentoring during their placement, as well as supporting them to adjust to life back in work.
Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, explained: “We are very proud to enter this new partnership with BAM to return highly skilled people back into the industry they love. There is a well-known skills shortage across the STEM sector. But despite a clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break, who are most likely women, are often overlooked. Only by working together will we make vital changes in recruitment practices to help those finding it challenging to return to the sector and improve diversity and inclusion.”
BAM’s North Region Director, Gareth Farrier, said: “BAM is delighted to be partnering with STEM Returners, offering a targeted programme to support people into the right jobs. The construction industry continues to face an unprecedented skills gap and we support anyone who is considering re-engaging with the industry to ensure their vital skills are retained. Working with STEM Returners helps us celebrate difference and deliver on our promise to create a more diverse and inclusive culture which empowers people to be themselves, whatever their circumstances.”
