Recruit, train and deploy business FDM Group reports that it has relaunched the careers of 154 people across the globe in 2022 via its Returners Programme.
The Returners Programme offers people who have taken a break from work the chance to resume a successful career. It does so via bespoke training to refresh and expand a candidate’s existing skill set across a seven-week programme. At the end, the candidate is then placed in a consultancy role with one of FDM’s industry leading clients.
The Returners Programme first launched in 2015 in Hong Kong, and has since expanded into Singapore, the UK (2016) and most recently Canada and USA in 2022. It is also set to launch in Poland by the end of this year. Globally, the programme has relaunched the careers of over 400 people.
Research found that women comprise 50 per cent of the population but only 21 per cent of the tech industry workforce. This is an issue which FDM seeks to resolve by providing the platform to encourage more people back into the workforce. A significant 75 per cent of the returners on the programme have been female, many of whom took a career break due to maternity leave or caring responsibilities.
Also this year, FDM’s first technical Returners Programme was introduced. This had a focus on getting women into tech and featured training in Java Development. The full cohort for this course was female from diverse backgrounds, and due to its success, FDM are now doing multiple deliveries of the tech returners course across Canada, USA and the UK.
As a result of their successes this year, FDM were recently shortlisted for two awards at the Workingmums Top Employer Awards, including the Best for Returners award, which recognises employers who demonstrate stand-out programmes or initiatives aimed at those who have taken a career break and are looking to get back into the workplace.
“Our Returners Programme plays a crucial role in supporting those who are looking to restart their career, but don’t have the up-to-date industry knowledge, skills, connections, or even confidence to go at it alone,” said Sheila Flavell CBE, COO for FDM Group. “Society moves fast, and even a career break of just one-year could be enough for someone to be in this predicament. We have already helped hundreds of people from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities and social classes, get back into their dream career, and the demand for this programme has surged in recent years. As a result, we have big aspirations to expand the Returners Programme further into new markets and introduce new training courses.”
