Following the success of its UK & Ireland Returners programme in 2018, AECOM has again provided their 2019 Returners programme.

The structured and supportive programme enables both women and men who have been out of the workplace for a significant amount of time to return back to work. This break may have been to raise a family, care for a family member or even travel the world.

“AECOM Returners provides us with a fantastic opportunity to tap into a talent pool of high calibre potential employees who can bring a diversity of perspective, a fresh pair of eyes and, in many cases, a wealth of experience to AECOM,” says Michaela Roast, HR Manager, who is the Project Lead for the programme.

AECOM Returners offers a paid placement for 6 months, with the opportunity for the roles to become permanent. Coaching sessions run by Women Returners are also available to successful applicants, along with an abundance of online training. Not to mention the opportunity to work on some of AECOM’s most high-profile projects.

Dave Beddell, Director of Strategy & Growth for Civil Infrastructure in the UK & Ireland and the region's newly appointed Diversity and Inclusion sponsor, is excited about the launch of the programme: "The inaugural Returners programme has proved hugely successful and helped us to enhance our teams across a number of key service areas. Employing individuals who possess a mixture of both technical and social experience will help us to create a more inclusive environment where diversity of thought can be the catalyst to providing more innovative solutions for our clients."

A recent returner shares her experience of the programme

The 2018 programme successfully welcomed 6 professionals back into the workplace including a Landscape Architect, Civil Engineer and Associate Programme Manager. Claire Lovell, Landscape Architect, was one of the successful professionals. To help give a better insight into the programme, Claire shares her own experience:

What was your professional background prior to your career break?

“Prior to my career break I spent 10 years working as a Chartered Landscape Architect in consultancy.”

How long was your career break?

“My career break from Landscape Architecture was for 8 years.”

What was the reason for your career break?

“I took time out following the birth of twins and did not have time to contemplate returning to work until they were settled into school full time.”

What was your experience of finding a new role after your career break?

“Once the children had started school I initially found admin work for a couple of days a week during school hours. This led to me increasing my hours and finding work as a garden designer which utilised some of the skills I had developed working as a Landscape Architect.”

What was your experience of re-joining the workplace?

“Initially I did any work that fitted around school. However, I soon started to think about how I could get back into my career but envisaged it would take a long time to find a job as I had been out of the profession for so long. I came across the AECOM Returners programme when searching for jobs in Environmental Impact Assessment which was an area of work I had lots of experience in. AECOM Returners was applicable to a number of different environmental specialists, so I was keen to find about more and apply.”

What support did you receive from AECOM?

“I found AECOM to be accommodating with my working hours and Freedom to Grow allows me the flexibility of working from home as and when it suits me and the business. The support and advice the Returners programme provided was invaluable and helped me think about my strengths and achieving a work-life balance. My colleagues and line manager are really supportive and approachable which helped me quickly come up to speed in the office environment, as there have obviously been quite a few changes since my time out.”

How do you find it being back at work now?

“Now I feel as though I have not been away. I have learnt a lot in terms of getting up to speed with current legislation, planning changes and obviously advances in IT.”

What are you looking forward to next at AECOM?

“The Birmingham office is a relatively new location for the Landscape team and I am looking forward to helping the team grow our portfolio of work, establish itself within Birmingham, and become the go to team for landscape solutions in the midlands.”

What's the best piece of advice for others looking to get back to work?

“Be positive and give it ago, employers are much more flexible than they used to be.”

Keep an eye on exciting career returner opportunities at AECOM

• Transportation (Rail, Bridges, Roads and Transport Consulting)
  Opportunities for Civil, Structural, Rail Systems and Permanent Way Engineers, Transport Planners, Modellers and Transport Technology Consultants based throughout the UK and Ireland
   
• Water, Ports & Power
  Opportunities for Civil, Structural and Tunnelling & Maritime Engineers, Project Managers, CAD / BIM & Revit Technicians based in Leeds, Greater Manchester, Croydon, St Albans, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow or Edinburgh
   
• Environment & Ground Engineering
  Oportunities in the following specialisms: Noise, Air Quality, Ecology, Landscape, Geotechnical, Heritage and Archaeology, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Consultancy and Stakeholder Engagement to work in locations throughout the UK
   
• Buildings & Places
  Opportunities for Programme & Project Managers, Project Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Estimators based in London, Plymouth, Dublin or Peterborough

Join this supportive company

As a global organisation that is experiencing significant growth, now is a great time to join AECOM and make a difference in your career.

Women career returners are welcome.

Search for exciting career opportunities today.

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