Deloitte expands ‘Return to Work’ programme

Deloitte has announced changes to its Return to Work programme, which helps people find their way back into professional services after a career break.

Nearly 50 people have joined Deloitte’s Return to Work programme since its launch in 2015.

The initiative is open to anyone, male or female, who has taken a career break of two years or more.

This could be for any reason including time out for travelling, focusing on family, or just time out to refocus and re-energise.



The programme won the 2017 Mumsnet Returnship Award in recognition of the programme’s success in providing encouragement and support to parents who want to come back to work after having a child.

Now, instead of accepting returners every six months, Deloitte is rolling the programme into its year-round recruitment process, meaning candidates can apply for a job as soon as they are ready to re-start their careers.

All roles will now be advertised through Deloitte’s main recruitment pages and will be offered on a permanent basis, unless for a specific project.

Previously the programme was structured as a 25-week internship, with a potential to extend this to a permanent role. Successful applicants will be given all the necessary support to refresh their skills and boost professional confidence through bespoke training in areas like IT and personal development.

Emma Codd, managing partner for talent at Deloitte, said: “We were the first professional services firm to launch a Return to Work programme in 2015 and these changes we are bringing in today are an important progression in how we help people get back into the workplace.

“Anything business can do to remove barriers to employment and provide support to people who have had time away from work is critical. That’s why we’re making Return to Work a central part of our year-round recruitment drive alongside a range of bespoke training and tailored coaching.

“By opening up Return to Work opportunities throughout the year we hope to increase the number of talented returners coming into Deloitte each year.”

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet Founder and CEO, added: “We know from conversations on Mumsnet that mothers coming to the end of career breaks can talk themselves out of applying for jobs because of concerns that their skills may be out-of-date, or worries that employers won’t be prepared to consider flexible working. It’s great to see Deloitte building on its record of creative thinking and constructive action with this innovative scaling up of its returnships work.”

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