Although the EU needs more people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) backgrounds, women engineers who leave their careers for family reasons still find it extremely difficult to re-enter these sectors. Technology is moving so fast that even a short absence means skills are soon obsolete. Furthermore, language barriers often prevent highly qualified migrant women from seeking STEM placements. The EU-funded project ‘Back2Job – engineers wanted!’ retrains and reintegrates women engineers into the workforce.
- 01 August 2017
Every woman sacrifices her professional phase to start a family and raise kids, which makes perfect society and patriotic citizens. The project aims to lighten the professional life of women with an engineering background by providing them with a career in their respective domains so that technology and innovation keep evolving.
In today’s technologically-driven world, prolonged absence from work can result in employees fall behind in skills and competences. Women tend to suffer most from this – trying to return to work having left to raise a family they are confronted by the latest innovations and technology making it hard for them to catch up.
The Back2Job – engineers wanted! project drew up a plan to bring women with STEM qualifications back into the workforce. New skills can be learned and courses are provided through universities and high schools on a part-time basis, so that engineers can balance the training with family responsibilities.
Breaking language barriers
Taking into consideration the migrant community in the region, the project provided language courses tailored specifically towards career-relevant language, such as ‘German for engineers’. Studies showed that there were 100 women migrant engineers in the region at that time, creating a “silent reservoir” of skilled workers. Language barriers had been stopping these highly-qualified women from pursuing careers in their specialist area. The courses enabled them to raise their language levels, making them better able to communicate with their colleagues and increasing their chances of getting a job in STEM.
A shortage of engineers, scientists and mathematicians made this project particularly interesting for employers. Work placements were organised with companies as part of the training courses, which led to job opportunities for some women afterwards. Mentoring programmes were also very beneficial, giving one-on-one support throughout the placement phase.
Women-friendly workplaces
Generally speaking, women who work in engineering, science and technology are often in the minority. In these male-dominated workplaces, it is often harder for women to progress at work and to achieve a work-life balance. Consequently, fewer women are attracted to these professions, making the problem worse. Thus, the Back2Job – engineers wanted! project widened its scope to examine this phenomenon and try to break the cycle.
The project worked with companies to promote ideas for creating more gender-equal working environments, encouraging them to adopt measures to make part-time work, flexible working hours and childcare support more available.
Thanks to the project, businesses in Hanover are beginning to show a shift in their thinking. Flexible working time modules are becoming the norm and as more women are hired, many are even reporting salary increases having upgraded their skillset.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Back2Job – engineers wanted!” is EUR 192 236, with the EU’s European Social Fund contributing EUR 92 074 through the “OP Niedersachsen ERDF/ESF 2014-2020” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.