Amazing new program, 'Project Return', helping Aussie mums and carers back into workforce
By Heidi Krause|
When Carly Lukacs fell pregnant with her first child, she had no idea her dream to become a mum would play havoc with her career and crush her workforce confidence. She also suffered from a chronic condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) which causes extreme levels of nausea and vomiting and has a crippling impact on the sufferer's physical and mental health.
The Adelaide mum-of-two had been working in a long-term administration and it was her first experience with a workplace and needing a lot of sick leave and compassion.
"It was also a very male-dominated industry," she tells 9Honey Parenting. "No one understood what I was going through."
READ MORE: 'Super mum' gives birth while standing in hospital corridor
"Even when I returned after maternity leave, I was the only one who had been through the return to work and all the sickness and struggle that comes along with it. There was no flexibility and no understanding of my situation."
When she fell pregnant again with her son, Carly decided to quit the job. She also once again suffered HG, this time with even more severe symptoms, including an aversion to the smell of her toddler and being hospitalised several times.
'Returning to work felt overwhelming'
Four weeks later, the pandemic hit and Carly found herself at home with a newborn and a toddler. "It was a strange slide out of the workforce," she explains. "I didn't plan on staying out that long but it just happened that way circumstantially."
At that stage, the prospect of returning to a corporate role felt "completely overwhelming" to Carly.
"I also suffered from postnatal depression (PND) and was really struggling with my confidence," she explains. "And I had heard how hard it was to find work with COVID-19 and more people looking."
READ MORE: The biggest mistakes women make on maternity leave
Fortunately, Carly, 33, heard about the Jobs Academy, run by Future Women - a free year-long membership to support women return to their jobs or find new jobs.
"I had just started doing some freelance writing for friends when I heard about Jobs Academy," Carly explains. "And as that went on, I realised there was quite a demand for this copywriting type of work."
"The team at Future Women really helped me get my confidence back and launch my own business, Carly Jane Creative." she declares. "I did some amazing mentoring sessions to help establish my brand and rates. And I attended several online seminars - including with some amazing women who shared how they overcame PND."
"I learned how to lean into my strengths," she adds.
Carly, whose kids are now 5 and 2, was just coming out of the first year baby fog when she found the program, has been struck by just how many other new mums were going through a similar experience.
Indeed, her story is far from uncommon.
Project Return scholarship
That's why Future Women have decided to launch another incredible initiative - the inaugural Project Return scholarship.
According to?Deputy Managing Director Jamila Rizvi, the leadership training program has been designed to help mothers and carers who have taken time out of the workforce or have recently commenced a new job - and need help to accelerate their careers.?
"We know so many mothers, and other carers, face incredible challenges returning to work," Jamila tells 9Honey Parenting. "Firstly, they often experience a personal lack confidence and a sense of not feeling like they belong anymore. For some women, it's a chance for a reset - do I even want to go back to the job I had because I feel like a different person now?"
"Also on the employer's side, we know that when many women go back to work their chance of leadership opportunities and progression through the workplace appears to be stifled. And while that can come from good intentions, because assumptions are made that 'this young mum probably won't want a lot of responsibility, let's give her a light load', the outcome is a really cruel and unfair one."
According to Jamila, that's why we really need to support women into more leadership opportunities. "While some people think you lose your ambition when you have a baby, for most women that is simply not the case," she declares.
"The purpose of this program is to intervene at that point in a woman's life. To give her access to the kind of leadership programs companies or governments invest in for people on the verge of managing a department - most of whom are men."
Incredibly, women make up 50 per cent of the workforce but only 19.4 per cent of Australian CEOs are women.
Meanwhile, the additional challenges of a pandemic and economic downturn have also seen a lot of women leave employment. A recent report by The Grattan Institute found that women bore the brunt of upfront job losses and shouldered more of the unpaid work burden at home.
"Instead of saying 'we have mummy-tracked you', we are saying we are going to invest in you and your potential because we believe you can still be one of the leaders of the future now that you're a mum."
"I know from my own experience, I suffered a complete identity crisis after I had my son, Rafi," she adds. "I really struggled and was completely unprepared... and there is this disconnect between what women expect when they return to work and the reality."
Project Return is fully funded by the National Careers Institute and will offer 150 women a Future Women Platinum+ 12-month membership, valued at $5,500 - including access to virtual leadership masterclasses, small group speed mentoring, training resources and a virtual ticket to the annual two-day Leadership Summit in Sydney.
"I would really encourage everyone to apply," Jamila urges. "While there has been an incredible response already we are working hard to offer more than 150 places.
"Even if you are unsuccessful, you will be hearing from us."
Jamila's advice for new mums trying to get back into the workforce is clear.
"Be kind to yourself," she says. "You have just been through a cataclysmic life change, And remember it is a two-way street. Yes, you have to be open to things being a bit different when you go back to work, but you are also entitled to expect that your workplace will be flexible to your new circumstances."
Carly echoes this advice: "Trust yourself... what you are experiencing is hard. And have that trust to reach out for help if you need. There are so many people, like Future Women, who are there to help. They found me at just the right time."
Entries for Project Return are open from Monday 16 May and close on Sunday 19 June 2022. Women of all walks of life are urged to apply.?
For more information and to apply, head to futurewomen.com/project-return/
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