Back to the Business Ship, the enlightened course for women returners run by Starcom in partnership with f1, has ended. Now the proactive hard work really starts. For those that have decided to return to their careers f1 will organise returnships with its clients to provide the vital experience needed to bridge the gap between a delegate’s last role and their return to work. For a potential employer it means a delegate’s most recent experience is current rather than three years or five years old.
Our first Back to the Business Ship returnship, for Sara Stockdale, starts with the enlightened Brothers and Sisters agency on 17th March and we wish her all the very best. Brothers and Sisters’ Head of Client Services, Jason Capra, is fully behind the programme and Sara will spend a day or two shadowing him as well as joining other team members to work on current projects.
A word of caution: If you are a woman wanting to return to work after children there are lots courses and events you can attend to give you confidence, fresh skills and insight. The website Mum and Career, for example, lists 14 courses/events in March alone. Many courses aimed at returners cost money (quite a lot of money) and it is clearly good business for training organisations. Whilst we applaud these courses, our beef is that none of them offers a route back to work when the course is finished.
What we need is for more businesses in the marketing and communications community to engage with mum returners by offering returnships (the vital bridge back to work) even if they can’t offer them a permanent flexible role at the end of it. Helping returners get recent and relevant experience on their CV helps us go on to create contract or full time flexible working opportunities for them.
At f1 we’ve always presented diverse shortlists that include flexible working people (it’s not always mums returning) on the basis that clients want to hire the person most able to fulfil the role. We have had success with more progressive clients introducing returning mothers on contracts, work placements and for permanent roles.
If you would like to talk about hosting a returnship for an experienced marcomms practitioner returning to the workplace with a wealth of experience behind her/him please connect with amanda@f1recruitment.com or celia@f1recruitment.com