Aerospace and defence firm Leonardo has announced a new round of placements with STEM Returners, aimed at professionals looking to re-enter the workplace after career breaks.
The programme, which has already helped 45 people secure jobs at Leonardo over the past five years, will now support a further 10 returners across sites in Bristol, Edinburgh, Luton, Southampton, Newcastle, Lincoln and Basildon.
The scheme offers paid placements, mentoring, and the chance to transition into permanent positions. It focuses on addressing recruitment bias, which research from the STEM Returners Index identifies as the biggest barrier facing those attempting to restart their careers. According to the data, women are disproportionately affected.
One engineer, Heidi, who joined Leonardo after struggling to find opportunities despite completing an MSc in Space Science and Technology, described the scheme as transformative. “It was disheartening… STEM Returners clearly understood the value that years of work, whether directly related or not, and life experience, can bring to a career. I’ve had such a positive experience with Leonardo. They’ve given me the time and support to learn, as well as the opportunity to contribute to the work of the team from the start of the placement. I’m now in a permanent position as a Senior Systems Engineer on the Typhoon programme. I’m where I’m meant to be.”
Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, argued the initiative helps to shift outdated attitudes in industry. “Leonardo UK has become one of our most supportive allies in updating outmoded attitudes to career breaks, helping us return nearly 50 people back into the industry. We are very proud to be continuing our partnership with Leonardo and hope it will enable more people to return to the profession they love.”
Leonardo has tied the programme to its wider diversity and inclusion strategy. “We’ve found that the diversity of thought and experience that STEM returners can bring to our business has been a tremendous source of inspiration and dynamism for our business,” said Rachel Ruxton, the company’s Head of Inclusion and Diversity.
More than 600 candidates have joined STEM Returners schemes across the UK since the initiative launched in 2017, with placements often leading to permanent roles. The organisation has been recognised with multiple awards for its work in diversity and inclusion, including the Maritime UK Diversity Award and the Women in Defence UK Equity of Opportunity Award.
For Leonardo, which is looking to expand its UK workforce in the coming months, the latest cohort represents both a recruitment drive and an effort to tackle structural barriers in engineering careers.
