In the age of #bosslady and #mompreneur mantras, ladies are a force in the career game.
In whatever work we’re driven to do, we are smart, ambitious and all around ready to roll up our sleeves to get the thing done. And here are some pretty awesome stats to prove it: Women earn more bachelor’s degrees than men, 40% of women with children are the primary or sole breadwinners in their household, and women-owned businesses more than doubled between 1997 and 2014.
And yet the gender gap in representation, leadership, and wages is alive and well in corporate America. And this gap grows especially wider as women become mothers. Because millennial women are having children later in life, the 43% of moms who leave the workforce to stay at home with their children are often highly-skilled, educated, and experienced. Only 24% of men leave the workforce, however – children or no children, leaving the rest to continue to climb their corporate ladders.
So, what if you’re ready to get back into the workforce after taking time off to stay at home?
Anyone who has tried to re-establish their professional pursuits after taking any amount of time off from work can testify that it’s much easier said than done. Enter the Returnship.
These mid-career internships offer experienced professionals a way to lessen the barrier back into the workforce and help to bridge the gender gap when caretakers step away. These paid positions often provide professional development, networking, mentorship, and can sometimes lead to a full-time position. Essentially, Returnships provide a structured place to update your skills, build your resume, and gain new contacts, all while getting paid. Not just limited to moms, Returnship programs are typically open to men and women who have taken two or more years of leave, including care leave and military leave, in addition to child leave.
Thanks to Denver’s density of high-caliber companies and a growing tech scene, there are several employers offering Returnship programs perfectly suited for those looking to join the working moms hustle.
Here are some Denver area businesses that have programs to help those returning to the workforce:
Arrow Electronics: The Arrow Career Reinvention Program has been running steady since 2015. This Fortune 500 company program focuses on job opportunities in Finance and Accounting for both part-time, full-time, short-term, and long-term positions. You can take advantage of this program at Arrow’s corporate headquarters in Denver.
Lockheed Martin: Another Fortune 500 company with a Colorado presence, Lockehed Martin’s Chapter Next paid returnship program runs for about 12 to 16 weeks, and offers professional development programs, networking, and mentorship opportunities. This program is available at Lockheed’s Littleton location and is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2019 season.
Medtronic: Careers 2.0, a six-month paid program at the Broomfield and Boulder Medtronic locations, is looking for experienced STEM professionals interested in making an impact in healthcare. Returnship engineering positions range across a variety of focus areas including research and development, reliability, and quality and improvement, but all of them provide the opportunity to make a difference in patient’s lives.
AT&T/Xandr: A partner of the Path Forward program, Xandr and its parent company, AT&T offers returnships for software engineering in locations all over the world. AT&T also has a strong veterans and military spouse program, as well as a commitment to creating career paths for women in tech, proving to be a company that holds true to creating diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Deloitte: Deloitte’s Encore Program lasts three to four months and gives participants access to client engagement, leadership development, and company mentors. This financial services giant is currently accepting applications for their Winter 2020 program in a variety of focus areas including field auditing, human capital, and cloud technology.
In addition to the companies mentioned above, here are some more resources to help mamas ease the transition back into the workforce:
So whatever your reason for pressing the pause button on your career – and whatever may be motivating you to return back to work – there are a growing reserve of resources right here in Denver available to help you ramp back up your work life, regardless of any resume gap.
