This is a list of all career re-entry activity that we have been able to document since we started documenting back in 2008. Any career re-entry program that has run even one time is listed. We also have filters so you can filter by "active" and "paid corporate career re-entry programs" to see what programs continue to be active. Alternatively, you can go to our "Paid Corporate Return to Work Programs Around the World" for an easy access list of active programs. That list is not as comprehensive as the filtered list below.
Background: There has been an explosion of career re-entry programs since 2004, when the topic of career re-entry began to gain steam in the media and as a research topic for academics. At iRelaunch, we have been tracking career re-entry programs of all kinds since 2008. Our first list included 57 programs worldwide, at universities, employers, government agencies, professional associations, non-profits and foundations. Only nine of these 57 programs, or 16%, existed prior to 2004. Domestically, six of 43, or almost 14%, existed prior to 2004.
In 2012, iRelaunch Chair and Co-Founder Carol Fishman Cohen authored our report on the growing use of mid-career internships or internship-like experiences as an effective vehicle for professionals to return to work after time away. This report was the basis for her seminal HBR article "The 40-Year-Old Intern," which was the first to recognize the emergence of mid-career internships and to predict the proliferation of formal corporate reentry internship programs.
Carol described the phenomenon as "quietly emerging" at the time. Not anymore. We have seen a huge uptick in the number of corporate re-entry internship programs, in addition to corporate career re-entry programs that are event-based or feature direct-hire opportunities with transitional support. Global hubs of career re-entry program activity center in the U.S., U.K. and India. Shoutout to Women Returners for their work in the UK career re-entry space and their list of U.K. programs which is a helpful resource for us in compiling this list.
Some programs that are no longer running were designed to only run once, while others might have been intended to run longer but did not. Note we don’t double count programs that are offered jointly between a school and a company, or an association and a company, although we list them separately.
Help us keep the list current and accurate! Please contact us at info@irelaunch.com to let us know about additions or corrections to the list. For expert advice on starting, refining or sourcing a re-entry internship program, please click here.
4-month paid reentry internships for individuals who have taken at least a 3-year career break from engineering. Launched 2017.
12-week paid internship for individuals who have taken a career break of at least 2 years.
REACH is a six-month paid apprenticeship program for programming and coding roles within the LinkedIn functional engineering team. Note, a computer science background is not a prerequisite.
Staffing firm matches selected, experienced women returning to the workforce with interested employers. Six-week "skills refresh," coaching and peer support. Application required. Began 2013. Once accepted into the program the program is free.
10-week paid internship program for those individuals who have been out of the workforce for at least two years.
Two-day program for individuals who have taken at least a year career break.
Paid 12-week program for individuals who have taken a career break.
CDM Smith will conduct three 12-week pilots in 2019. Pilot Cycle 1 iwill be held in their Boston, Mass. office and locations will be expanded as the program grows.
Technical updating program for relaunchers. Silicon Valley., Chicago, NYC, Seattle. Began 2015. Fees vary depending on program.
Six-month paid placements, with possibility of turning into permanent role at end of placement. Also career support - on the job training, CV clinics.
12-week paid programme began in September 2016 for individuals who have taken a voluntary career break of at least 2 years.
Program for individuals who have taken a career break of at least 18 months.
Initiative from Amazon to encourage women on a professional break to resume their corporate career.
Program for individuals who have taken a career break of at least 2 years.
12-week paid internship program for individuals who have taken a career break of at least two years.
12 week program for individuals who have been out ot the work force for at least 2 years.
12-week paid internship for individuals who have been out of the work force for at least two years.
This is a three-month paid placement that helps people who have taken a career break return to work.
Program focusing on women wanting to return to the workforce after a career break.
