Returnship scheme to bring women back into Civil Service digital roles
Tim Coulthard
The Government is piloting a returnship programme aimed at helping experienced software developers re-enter the workforce in senior digital roles across the Civil Service.
The initiative forms part of a wider package of measures announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology designed to increase the number of women working in the UK technology sector and address long-standing barriers to participation.
Under the pilot, the government will offer opportunities for skilled developers who have been out of the workforce for at least 18 months to return to senior technical roles in central government. The programme will initially run in the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.
The scheme is intended to help address the “CV gap” that many people face when trying to return to work after time away from the sector. It is expected to particularly benefit women who have taken career breaks to care for children.
The Civil Service returnship scheme will run initially as a pilot, with potential for the approach to be expanded if successful.
The move comes as part of a broader effort to increase female participation in technology careers, where women remain significantly under-represented. According to the Government, the UK economy loses between £2bn and £3.5bn each year as women leave the tech sector.
Alongside the returnship programme, ministers have also announced a £4m TechFirst Women’s Programme, which will support at least 300 women into technology roles through paid placements with small and medium-sized businesses across the UK. Participants will receive coaching and interview preparation support as part of placements lasting a minimum of six months.
In parallel, the government’s Women in Tech Taskforce has launched a call for evidence to examine how women can be better supported to enter and progress in technology careers, including in emerging areas such as AI.
Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, said the package is intended to create clearer routes into the sector.
“We’re acting through a skills and jobs package to get more women into tech quickly,” she said. “These aren’t warm words – they’re real jobs, real placements and real routes back in through a door that has been too hard to open for too long.”
