Awarded as the TechDiversity Award winner in the Marketing and Media category at the 2021/2022 TechDiversity Awards. ANZ launched the ‘Return to Work Program’ to help people (particularly women) who have taken a career break of two or more years, often to care for children, transition back to the workforce. The program started in their Technology Division and is focused on addressing the challenges of returning to work, centered around confidence-building, support structures and flexible work options whilst growing our pipeline of diverse talent.
The Program
On International Women’s Day in March 2019, ANZ launched the ‘Return to Work Program’ to help people (particularly women) who have taken a career break of two or more years, often to care for children, transition back to the workforce. The program in our Technology Division is focused on addressing the challenges of returning to work, centred around confidence-building, support structures and flexible work options whilst growing our pipeline of diverse talent.
They actively encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and provide an opportunity to refresh skills through training, in a supportive environment with leaders, mentors and colleagues, while competitively remunerating our people for the value they bring.
ANZ group executive technology and group services Gerard Florian said that when the program first started the bank “recognised the lack of female representation in tech”, he also added “It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s also crucial for the future of our industry.” Source: IT News
The Challenge
For many people, transitioning back into the workforce after taking a career break can be tough. Some days, too tough. That’s why this program offers two paid and flexible employment options. The first is a 20 week fixed term contract and the other is a supported hire into a permanent role.
The Reward
- The 2023 intake is expected to double in size compared to prior years
- Around 50 of the roles are still technology-focused and sit across a number of engineering disciplines including data, security and cloud services.
The ongoing commitment to diversity
In March, 2023 ANZ announced more than 70 new employment opportunities as part of its Return to Work program in 2023, expanding from just careers in technology to now also include more traditional banking roles.
