Aimed at those looking to return to the industry after a career break, the ‘Return To Tech’ programme from Tech Returners offers a free and accessible route back into businesses. AO sponsored the seventh cohort, with four people successfully applying for a mid-level role at AO following the eight-week programme.
The course provides skilled tech professionals with the resources to refresh their skills and reignite their career. This offers a fantastic opportunity for businesses, such as AO, to recruit tech talent with the expertise already in place to hit the ground running. Uniquely, individuals on the programme delivered on live briefs from AO during the course, giving them the opportunity to impress the retailer.
Carl Phillips, Director of Group IT at AO.com, said: “We were really impressed with everyone on the programme and all of our new AO’ers have the passion and drive to settle in seamlessly on our tech team. At AO, we’re really pleased to partner with Tech Returners to remove the barriers returners often face in the industry – and get some fantastic talent on board!”
The new starters include software developers Daniel Irani, who returned to tech after eight years as a commodity futures trader, and Shraddha Kapse, who found the confidence boost she needed to return to tech after the pandemic.
Lakshmi Vudathu, Data Engineer at AO, said: “I moved to the UK after spending over six years as a data engineer in India. I’ve been with AO for a month now after completing the Tech Returners programme – it’s my first job since moving to the UK and the opportunity has been invaluable.”
Tech Returners is also ideal for those looking to navigate both a demanding career in tech and family life. Sinéad Magennis, Software Developer Team Lead at AO, previously struggled with finding role where she could balance home life and the office, but AO offered her that much-needed flexibility.
For more information about upcoming cohorts, visit: https://www.techreturners.com/programmes/your-return-to-tech/