Welcome to the free badged course, Returning to STEM. This course is here to help you get back to work in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics. The course is intended for anyone who wants to get back into STEM work after having a break, whether to care for family, because of redundancy or for other reasons.Watch the following video in which Dr Sue Black OBE introduces the course.TranscriptThere are case study videos placed throughout the course to show you how other people have navigated their own unconventional careers. Importantly, you will hear about how they have got back to STEM employment after a career break. Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development.Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation – which also displays your Open University badge. This course is accredited by the CPD Standards Office. It can be used to provide evidence of continuing professional development and on successful completion of the course you will be awarded 24 CPD points. Evidence of your CPD achievement is provided on the free Statement of Participation awarded on completion.Anyone wishing to provide evidence of their enrolment on this course is able to do so by sharing their Activity Record on their OpenLearn Profile, which is available before completion of the course and earning of the Statement of Participation. The Open University would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to tell us about yourself and your expectations for the course before you begin, in our optional start-of-course survey. Once you complete the course we would also value your feedback and suggestions for future improvement, in our optional end-of-course survey. Participation will be completely confidential and we will not pass on your details to others.This course is supported and recommended by STEM Returners, a programme that helps to facilitate a start in or return to STEM careers.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction and guidance
- Introduction and guidance
- What is a badged course?
- How to get a badge
- Acknowledgements
- Week1Week 1: The story so far
- Introduction
- 1 What this course can offer you
- 1.1 Why STEM?
- 2 Reflections on your working life
- 2.1 Your career lifeline
- 2.2 Telling your story
- 3 Identifying your career drivers and values
- 4 Managing your digital footprint
- 5 Strategies for returning
- 5.1 Foot in the door
- 5.2 Networking
- 5.3 Retraining
- 5.4 Helping hand
- 5.5 Back to basics
- 6 What do you want to get out of this course?
- 7 This week’s quiz
- 8 Summary
- Further reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Week 2: Presenting yourself
- Introduction
- 1 Presenting yourself online: LinkedIn
- 1.1 Why LinkedIn for STEM?
- 1.2 About LinkedIn
- Privacy and security
- 2 Making the most of LinkedIn
- 3 Creating your online profile
- 3.1 Your profile
- 3.2 Unpaid or voluntary work
- 3.3 Expanding your voluntary work
- 4 Creating a network
- 4.1 Building connections
- 4.2 Expanding your LinkedIn reach
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Week 3: What’s going on in your sector?
- Introduction
- 1 Employment trends in STEM
- 2 Skills shortage – where will the jobs be?
- 2.1 Eight great technologies
- 2.2 STEM occupations and skills
- 2.3 Update your skills or study for another qualification
- 3 Creating a CV
- 4 Good places for women to work
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- Further reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week4Week 4: New ways of working
- Introduction
- 1 What is a career?
- 2 Being flexible: what it means in the workplace
- 2.1 Part-time working
- 2.2 Job share
- 2.3 Making a flexible working request
- 2.4 Remote working: when home is your workplace
- 3 Working for yourself
- 4 Flexible working: the employer perspective
- 4.1 Steps to returning
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- Further reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week5Week 5: Work-life balance
- Introduction
- 1 Changing priorities: the ABC model
- 2 Where does your time go?
- 3 Creating the work–life balance you want
- 3.1 Time
- 3.2 Location
- 3.3 Childcare and other caring responsibilities
- Caring for elderly or other dependants
- 3.4 Money
- 3.5 Balancing work with the rest of your life
- 3.6 What does it feel like? Coping with conflicting roles
- 4 There are only so many hours in a day
- 4.1 Time management
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- Further Reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week6Week 6: Getting support
- Introduction
- 1 Getting back your confidence
- 2 Mentoring
- 2.1 How can a mentor help you?
- 3 Networking
- 3.1 Exploring your personal networks
- 3.2 Networking using LinkedIn
- 3.3 Developing your face-to-face networking skills
- 4 This week’s quiz
- Summary
- Further reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week7Week 7: Finding your STEM opportunity
- Introduction
- 1 What’s out there? Finding job vacancies
- 1.1 Job hunting online
- 1.2 Job vacancy sites
- 1.3 Job seeking using LinkedIn
- 1.4 Using recruitment agencies
- 2 Getting the job
- 2.1 Improving your CV
- 2.2 Your amended CV
- 3 Covering letters and speculative letters
- 3.1 Speculative applications
- Drafting a speculative letter
- 4 Interview confidence and preparation
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- Further reading
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week8Week 8: Planning your next steps
- Introduction
- 1 Strategies for returning to STEM
- 1.1 Reviewing your progress
- 2 Where next?
- 2.1 Update your skills or study for another qualification
- 2.2 Volunteering and returnships
- 3 Setting your goals
- 4 Creating your action plan
- 4.1 Goals as SMART objectives
- 4.2 What if I don’t succeed?
- 5 This week’s quiz
- 6 Summary
- Tell us what you think
- Take the next step
- References
- Acknowledgements
