Eye On Education: Concord Company Helps Stay-At-Home Moms Resume Careers
BOSTON (CBS) - As the economy slowly recovers and families worry about affording college tuition, more and more stay-at-home mothers are going back to work.
But it can be intimidating to know where to begin and how to explain those years at home to potential employers.
One local mother started a company that gives women an on-ramp back in to the work force.
Addie Swartz's reacHIRE in Concord trains women who've been out of the workforce for years.
"The idea of taking a career gap shouldn't be a career breaker. The work ethic of this work force is huge," said Swartz.
In addition to working on learning the latest technology, Swartz's experience with reacHIRE has shown her that a stay-at-home mom's attitude and work ethic can often outweigh that career gap.
Lisa Dinsmore, a stay-at-home mom in Lexington for almost a decade, reflected to when she first started looking for a job.
"I was nervous," said Dinsmore. "I just started thinking that I'm ready to come back in."
Now that her sons, Will and Luke, are school-age, Dinsmore wanted to re-launch her marketing career.
"It's the getting in the door that's tough and reacHIRE really helped to get me in the door of a great company," said Dinsmore.
"Lisa is a fabulous example," said Swartz.
"She took a step out of the work force, she raised wonderful boys, and she's now ready to go back re-engage with her career and create value for herself and a corporation," she told WBZ-TV.
ReacHIRE is an intensive 6-week training course, brushing up on technology, working on presentation skills, and career coaching that gets results.
Swartz said, "80-percent of the women who have gone through the program are now working back in corporate America."
Through reacHIRE, Dinsmore landed a six-month contract position in marketing at Putnam Investments in Boston.
Mark McKenna, Putnam Investments Global Head of Marketing, says, "It's a win-win, in terms of finding deep talent and experience, and also the diversity of bringing people into the workplace."
"It (reacHIRE) has done wonders for my confidence and my thought process, and how I'm going to progress my career from here," said Dinsmore.
The 6-week reacHIRE program costs $3,500 and it doesn't take everyone who applies.
However, if you're not placed in a job within 3 months, clients get a portion of their money back.
For more information, visit their website.
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