PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) announced the expansion of its "returnship" program across its South Division after year partnership with career empowerment nonprofit Path Forward. The program is part of the division's efforts to increase representation in the workforce by recruiting women professionals who have taken time off for caregiving.

The PBNA South Division Returnship program offers 16-week internships to women professionals with a minimum of five years of work experience who have taken at least two years off for caregiving. As a result of the success seen in the first year, PBNA South Division is expanding the program, with 12 to 15 returnship positions open in supply chain, sales, and commercial fields—more than twice the number of positions available in the 2022 program. Positions are open across PBNA South Division hubs including Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, with Nashville and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area added this year.

The program provides professional development workshops, feedback sessions, networking opportunities and mentorship support to returners as they reenter the workforce. Upon completion of the program, successful participants could also receive full-time PepsiCo job offers. PepsiCo says that 80% of the 2022 program participants accepted full-time positions after an average of seven years away from the workforce. Interested participants may apply through February 20th for consideration in the 2023 program which kicks off during the month of April. For more information about PBNA South Division's Returnship program, including how to apply, please visit PepsiCo Careers. 

"Across PepsiCo, the first cohorts from the Returnship continued to impress us throughout the program. Their previous experience translated into meaningful contributions to the business and informed our decision to make a particularly high percentage of full-time offers," says PBNA South Division President Heather Hoytink. "Programs like these are vital to increasing representation in the workplace and prove that talented women are often hidden in plain sight. We're thrilled to be expanding the program to additional markets and positions in the South to enhance our pipeline of future leaders by tapping into a diverse, motivated yet overlooked talent pool."