Talent searching can be a real pain in the neck. While reaching the stage where you can justify business expansion is always satisfying, the recruitment process can be somewhat frustrating, particularly if your industry has a shortage of skilled workers. While you may be more than happy to train new staff, there will still be a period where you are paying the salary of a skilled worker, without necessarily the skilled work to show for it. How can you get around this?
One option is to offer an internship or apprenticeship program, where young people (usually university students or recent graduates) are offered the opportunity to develop their skills in a professional environment.
These schemes can favour employers in that interns may be paid a reduced salary, but young people can often lack the knowledge and experience required to settle into a job role quickly. According to recently published national statistics, only 67% of apprenticeships end in a successful job placement.
Have you considered returnship?
Recently we have seen a greater number of businesses embracing returnship programs. These higher-level internships act as a bridge back to full-time employment for experienced professionals who have taken a career break for whatever reason.
Typical returnship schemes involve short-term employment contracts, usually between three and six months, with employers using that period to decide whether to take the staff member on permanently when the term ends.
Often returnship programs will be offered to women who took time out of employment to raise children, but now find themselves with the time to return to work full-time. A recent report from Radix found that 41% of women in work do so on a part-time basis, as opposed to only 11% of men who do the same. This contributes to the fact that women only account for 34% of the total wages earned in the UK. Finding a way to get women back into work would help to close this gap.
What are the benefits of returnships?
Returnships give employers access to a higher calibre of talent, with research suggesting that work experience generally trumps academic qualifications. Employers may feel more assured working with an older candidate who is already settled down in their personal life and has decided on a clear career path, which is often not the case with younger people.
They also offer a low-risk opportunity for an employer to take a chance on a candidate who has been out of work for a long time and may not adjust well to moving back into full-time employment. Should the returnship not work out for whatever reason, the employer is under no obligation to take the staff member on permanently at the end of their contract.
Where have returnships worked well in the past?
Return-to-work experts iRelaunch recently compiled a list of some of the most prestigious active re-entry internship programs. These range from banking to machine operating, to software development, with no restrictions as to which industries can embrace a returnship program.
Technology giant Microsoft recently partnered up with recruiter Nigel Frank to deliver a return-to-work initiative called Diversity in Dynamics. This 16-week program includes a free Microsoft Dynamics 365 course put together by Microsoft, as well as hands-on training delivered by experts. Many technology companies are happy to sponsor learning, particularly if combined with an employment scheme such as returnships — this could be a great way to offer expert training without having to expand your own resources.
Increasing the number of women in full-time work by just 5% can equate to an additional £750m in tax revenue. What’s more, with the retirement age set to increase to 68 in the next decade, it’s never been more important to offer young mothers extra support to kick start their career again and help them get back into full-time work.
Returnships offer you the opportunity to recruit a skilled and experienced candidate on a temporary basis, with the option of extending their contract if you feel it is a perfect fit.
