Praise for UKRC/OU online course that helped women return to ICT careers
The initiative ran in the UK and Ireland between 2005 and 2011as part of a national campaign (RETURN) to address the UK government’s concern about women failing to return to SET careers after a break. The report, published in the International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, focuses in particular on an innovative online course which the two organisations developed and ran, hosted by the Open University.
The course, titled 'Return to SET' was a success, with a significant number of participants successfully returning to work. However, author Clem Herman points out the importance of including ‘soft outcomes’, such as increased confidence, as well as non-paid work outside of the labour market. The UKRC tracked a range of 19 positive outcomes for women using their services between 2008 and 2011. From over 2500 women (25% of whom were returners to SET careers and 30% women seeking career progression), over 850 positive progression outcomes were reported by the end of the programme in March 2011.
The report describes how the UKRC undertook a ‘social return on investment’ (SROI) review, which takes into account the wider implications of interventions and initiatives.
"As well as actual employment or further training outcomes, this means recognising the importance of measuring ‘soft outcomes’," says the report author Clem Herman. "So for example positive outcomes from the UKRC’s SROI report include increased self esteem, less isolation, more confidence and feeling better informed (Rehman 2010). The assumption is that such soft outcomes are the first step towards a return towork, and indeed some women explicitly recognise the link between these and their eventual return to employment."
"Public funding cuts in the UK, both to the UKRC and to universities, mean that the model described above is no longer sustainable. The Open University team are now in the process of reflection and planning for continuation of the work in a different shape. Clearly there is still a need for support for women returning to ICT after a career break. We have seen initiatives come and go, but individual women at different points in the life course are still facing the same issues, and many of them need structured support if they are to successfully return to their ICT roles."
After a Career Break: Supporting Women Returning to ICT: A Case Study
Clem Herman, The Open University, U.K.
GST Vol 3, No 2 (2011)
