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Returnship Toolkit

The Returnship Toolkit is an extensive guide that can be used by organizations to create pathways for individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce after a period of absence due to child or elder care responsibilities.

Published
April 4, 2022

About This Toolkit

The Returnship Toolkit is an extensive guide that can be used by organizations to create pathways for individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce after a period of absence due to child or elder care responsibilities.

This compendium of resources provides actionable ways for employers to connect, recruit and retain this audience as they balance their caregiving responsibilities. Human resources professionals, leadership, hiring managers, and those involved in acquiring and retaining talent from a returnee population will find valuable and practical information to support their strategies.

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Overview

What is the Returnship Toolkit?

A set of tools to support employers in acquiring and retaining talent from a population of candidates coming into or returning to the electricity sector after a period of absence from the labour market.

Who should use it?

HR professionals, leadership/hiring managers, and others involved in attracting and retaining talent.

Why should you use it?

  • Best practices talent acquisition “how-to” strategies.
  • The full HR cycle: recruiting and hiring, onboarding, and retention and engagement.
  • A focus on a target population, mainly women returning to the workplace after a lengthy absence from the electricity sector, who can be valuable members of an employer’s workforce.

How was it developed?

This toolkit has been informed by learnings from an environmental scan of related employment programs, case studies, and research projects. Additionally, consultation sessions were held on January 18 and 27, 2022, with seventeen participants from stakeholder groups such as employers, labour, and industry organizations that work to attract and support underrepresented groups to the sector.

This insight has been invaluable in shaping the toolkit contents to ensure they are practical and effective.

 

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Resource

Acknowledgements

Funding

EHRC is proud to work with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development in the production of this Returnship Toolkit. The ongoing support from funders, industry partners, and Steering Committee members has been invaluable. These insights help to ensure EHRC can successfully develop useful and leading-edge best practices across the electricity and energy sectors. We recognize that these views represent those of EHRC and its researchers, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Ontario.