Media
Very targets career returners to further strengthen tech team
October 14, 2021
Operator of Very.co.uk, The Very Group, is offering a path back into technology roles for people who have taken a career break.
The first phase of the company’s new ‘career reinvention programme’, which is now open for applications from anyone who has taken a career break of two years or more, will initially recruit 10 people into a wide range of technology roles – including flexible hours and part time options – based in the North West.
The initiative, which Very intends to expand significantly in 2022, aims to create a pathway for applicants back into the world of work and offer the opportunity to refresh and top up their skills, while supporting the group’s ambition to grow – and further increase diversity within – its technology team.
Rather than hiring primarily on technical skills in the latest technologies, the recruitment journey will focus on applicants’ potential and values. Successful candidates will be passionate about learning new skills and have prior experience in related roles such as QA engineer, software engineer, data engineer or data scientist.
The successful career returners will benefit from a wide range of technical training and support, as well as the work-life balance afforded by The Very Group’s hybrid working model, in which colleagues mix time between working remotely and collaborating at the company’s recently refurbished Liverpool headquarters. Other benefits include a 30-day holiday allowance, a matched pension and a 25% discount at Very.co.uk.
As part of the initiative, which aims to have the first group of career returners in role by February 2022, the company has partnered with Women Returners. The return-to-work specialist will provide tailored support through a series of returner coaching workshops to help create the smoothest transition back to work for the successful candidates.
Matt Grest, chief information officer at The Very Group, said: “We have big ambitions for our career reinvention programme.
“People take extended career breaks for all kinds of reasons, often related to family commitments. And when they decide to re-enter the workplace, we don’t think they should be penalised. After all, technology might have changed in that time, but these professionals’ underlying potential and talent certainly haven’t.
“Of course, returning to work after time out can be daunting. That’s why we’ve structured this programme to offer the right training in new technologies and methodologies, as well as ongoing support and coaching with the help of Women Returners.
“We believe our career reinvention programme will offer returners amazing experiences and unrivalled flexibility, while helping us to recruit a super-talented, diverse group of people to help us create amazing experiences for our 4.5 million customers.
“We can’t wait to welcome the successful candidates to our technology team.”
Julianne Miles MBE, CEO of Women Returners, commented: “We are excited to be partnering with The Very Group to offer a supported route back to work for talented tech professionals in the Liverpool area. There is a real need for more returner programmes in the North West to get talented people on career breaks in the region back into great jobs.”
Are you looking to return to work after an extended career break? Find out more about The Very Group's career reinvention programme.
ENDS
Contact information
Media relations
Dave Lafferty - 07552 283 266
Ashley Muldoon – 07523 044 507
Notes to editors
About The Very Group
The Very Group is the UK’s largest integrated pureplay digital retailer and financial services provider, with annual sales of over £2bn.
Our largest and fastest growing retail brand is Very.co.uk, supported by the Littlewoods.com and LittlewoodsIreland.ie brands.
We receive an average of 1.9m website visits every day with 82% of online sales completed on mobile devices.
We sell 1,900 famous brands, including big name labels and our own exclusive brands. We serve four and a half million customers, delivering 49 million products every year.
We exist to make good things easily accessible to more people and our aim is to be the number one destination for shoppers who value flexible ways to pay.
By offering customers the brands they love and options to spread the cost, we help them say yes when it really matters.
We have over a hundred years of history behind us, but at our heart there is a passion for change – to constantly improve what we do, to innovate with data and technology at our core and to be the best possible place to work.
For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About Women Returners
Women Returners is a purpose-led consulting, coaching and network organisation which works with employers and individuals to enable professionals to get back to fulfilling work after taking multi-year career breaks. They partner with employers to design, promote and support returner programmes and run the free Women Returners Professional Network.
