The engineering construction industry is responsible for the design, build, maintenance and decommissioning of major UK infrastructure.
Our industry sectors are at the forefront of progress in the journey to net zero and have a vested interest in harnessing the benefits that a more diverse and inclusive talent pool can provide, including a broader range of views and experiences that not only increase performance but also unlock that vital innovation.
The ECITB is committed to leading industry learning and in doing so we want to promote diversity of thought, encourage meaningful discourse and cultivate inclusion, which we believe are the cornerstones of organisational change and progress.
Diversity and inclusion are the seeds of change, which given the right investment, the right support from organisational leadership and the right conditions in which to grow, become exactly what we need them to be – drivers for change.
Our vision is to support industry as it becomes a place where everyone can belong. One of the greatest challenges for engineering construction is the increasing demand for skills and a substantial increase in the number of people required to deliver net zero-critical projects.
If we are to achieve success in attraction and retention, we must put a focus on enhancing positive and inclusive workplace cultures to help industry attract and retain new recruits from every walk of life.
The goal of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan is to support and influence the industry in creating a strong culture of inclusion for all, regardless of background, and to widen diversity of participation from current levels.
The ECITB’s 2024 Workforce Census will help us further update our data on the demographics of the industry and better understand the scale of potential to open up engineering construction opportunities to a more diverse workforce.
Sharing best practice
One of the plan’s objectives is to use our resources, networks and strategic partnerships to raise the level of debate and showcase best practice to help stimulate change in the industry.
In March 2024, the ECITB launched a quarterly ED&I network for employers, providers and stakeholders to provide a forum for discussion and collaboration.
The network will promote, champion, support and encourage the sharing of good practice in diversity and inclusion across the industry.
By launching this network, we hope to create a space for industry and subject matter experts to gather regularly to inspire collaboration or new ways of working within diversity and inclusion.
The ECITB is also committed to showcasing best practice. As part of our annual ECI Training & Development Awards, which this year will take place on 5 November at One Marylebone, London, we have an ED&I Initiative of the Year category.
WSP claimed the accolade in 2023 after the initiatives in its inclusion and diversity strategy were recognised for helping to “foster an environment where employees feel proud, appreciated, engaged, secure and supported”.
Faye Ward from WSP summed it up nicely when picking up the award, saying: “We recognise that to meet the engineering challenges that lie ahead, like net zero, we need a diverse workforce, with diversity in thought.”
Value of collaboration
As part of our work collaborating with industry on EDI, we have a strategic partnership with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), which is now entering into its second year.
The not-for-profit organisation kindly inputted into our action plan. Being able to draw on AFBE-UK’s experience and insights will help us better support industry to ensure it reaches and inspires potential candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The ECITB has also partnered with STEM Returners and the Global Underwater Hub (GUH) as part of a pilot programme to drive equality and diversity across the underwater industry.
The aim of the 12-week programme, which is for professionals on a career break or those transferring their skills, is to provide candidates with real-work experience and mentoring during their placement, as well as supporting them to seamlessly adjust to life back in work for subsea engineering roles with industry employers.
In what is an incredibly tight skills market, this programme is a great initiative that enables employers across the underwater sector to attract experienced candidates from a new talent pool whilst improving their diversity and inclusion.
It is through partnerships like these, showcasing good practice and collaborating with organisations both across and adjacent to the engineering construction industry, that we will encourage a more diverse and inclusive workforce and benefit from the breadth of views and experiences this will bring.
Read the ECITB’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan at www.ecitb.org.uk/diversity-inclusion
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