Sage offers people a chance to get back into work

Company’s Pathways programme is aimed at parents and former members of the Armed Forces.

Newcastle software company, Sage, is offering people who have been out of the workplace a way to return to it, with a new pilot scheme that will be trialed in the North East.

50 people will be given the chance to improve their interview skills and offered other support and training, before five of them are offered a permanent job with the option of flexible hours.

The Pathways programme – which is being developed with the Sage Foundation, the company’s charitable arm – is aimed particularly at women who have taken time out of the world of work to raise children and people who have served in the Armed Forces.

Sage Foundation vice president, Debbie Wall, said: “Most of us have friends and family who took a break from work, often to raise children or care for others, and now they’re a little overwhelmed at the idea of picking up their careers again. They might be worried that technology has moved on, that jargon has moved on. They might be concerned that the working hours will interfere with their caring obligations. Perhaps they are worrying about being able to juggle the needs of their family with the requirements of an office job.

“Pathways embraces the new skills they have learned outside the workforce, provides the support they might need to regain confidence, and updates their skillset through training. Sage Foundation believes in helping women, in particular, into secure and rewarding employment, but Pathways is open to men too. We hope it will also appeal to the veteran community, both female and male.”

The programme, which lasts for a year, will see participants spending six weeks in Sage’s customer services team learning about the company’s products and services. Each person on the scheme will be assigned a mentor and a ‘buddy’ to help them return to work.