GE Vernova’s Power Conversion & Storage business, has launched a new collaboration with STEM Returners, which aims to support more professionals in returning to work after a career break.
GE Vernova, Power Conversion & Storage, will host a returners programme at its sites in the UK, with the primary location being its head office, located in Rugby, Warwickshire. Roles being promoted through the programme will include Power Systems Engineers and Power Electronic Engineers. GE Vernova’s Power Conversion & Storage business combines advanced energy conversion and storage systems to meet the electrification needs of utilities and industries. The company works with some of the world’s major energy, maritime and industrial organizations, helping to enable a transition to energy efficiency and decarbonization, including through its specialist motors, drives and control technologies.
STEM Returners will source the candidates and provide career coaching and mentoring throughout the paid placement. GE Vernova is committed to supporting the programme and able to offer permanent roles to the right candidates at the end of the programme period.
Research from STEM Returners (STEM Returners Index) has found that some 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 reported having felt that they had personally experienced bias in the recruitment process due to their gender, compared to eight per cent of men.
STEM Returners aims to eliminate these barriers by offering 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 collaboration with GE Vernova to return highly skilled people back into employment and address the well-known skills shortage across the STEM sector. But despite a clear need for people, professionals who have had a career break are often overlooked. We must work together to make vital changes in recruitment practices and help those finding it challenging to return to the sector.”
Dot Graham, HR Director at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion and Storage business explained: “We are pleased to be collaborating with STEM Returners to open up opportunities for talented and experienced engineers. The programme offers a great opportunity for the industry to engage with a highly skilled talent pool, that can be overlooked. We are committed to supporting engineers returning to the workplace after a career break by providing a positive, inclusive environment where they can rebuild confidence and go on to thrive. Initiatives such STEM Returners offer an important means of addressing gender gaps and building a pathway for female engineers to get back into industry, something we believe is essential for furthering GE Vernova’s culture of diversity.”
