Provide an avenue to recruit individuals who have been unemployed / underemployed for more than two years and ensure their successful transition back to the workplace; open access to a previously untapped talent pool.

As part of our efforts to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Sensata Technologies introduced a special Returnship program to help experienced professionals who took a break from the workforce in restarting their careers. The program was launched in 2021 and was piloted from Sensata’s US locations. Our plan is to expand globally to all of the company’s workspaces.

Create a Returnship program leveraging best practices from our US internship program and collaboration with iRelaunch, a leading provider of consulting, training, and events for folks returning to the workforce and companies looking to engage with relaunchers.

Sensata’s Returnship Program is a six-month, full time, paid program for experienced professionals who are unemployed or underemployed for two or more years and are looking to restart their careers. Should this Returnship prove successful for both the Returner and Sensata, it is our intention to offer a permanent position. Returners will be provided a structured re-entry to the workforce including training and development, mentorship, and program sponsors and leads who are committed to enabling their success.

For our pilot year we had five Returnship opportunities available. As we learn what works best for our Returners and Sensata, we will iterate and grow its reach. This is the first time that Sensata has offered an opportunity such as this. We have taken best practices from our university internship program and leveraged guidance from industry leaders in this space to craft the pilot. Returnships have proven successful in other companies – we consider ourselves “early adopters” in adapting this program at Sensata. As we continue to build on our diversity, equity, and inclusion mission and vision, we are committed to action that helps enable change.

Five returners joined Sensata for our program in 2021 and four were hired permanently into their roles.

Sensata Technologies is aiming to increase not only the number of women in our organization, but also women in leadership. While this program is not designed solely for people who identify as female, statistically speaking they represent the majority of people re-entering the workforce. Our Returnship enables us to offer a re-entry point to individuals in our communities who wish to return to the workforce, with planned training and development, mentorship, and more. We’ll be connecting to a largely untapped talent pool of experienced professionals, helping us to strengthen our pipeline of diverse talent and make progress on our goal of increased hiring of underrepresented groups.

As of a result of this program, we hired four out of five returners in 2021.

Krista Allan, Vice President, Global Talent, Sensata Technologies