Written Evidence Submitted by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB)

(DIV0077)

The nature or extent to which women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in STEM in academia and industry

Currently, the Engineering Construction Industry (ECI) workforce is not representative of the UK population Through a census report ECITB has undertaken research into diversity within the Engineering Construction Industry. The following data has all been collected and analysed by ECITB.

Gender

•          86.21% of the ECI workforce identify as men. This is compared to 49.4% of the UK population.

•          Across all sectors within ECI (Nuclear, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Renewables, Water Treatment, Food & Drink) there is underrepresentation of women across the workforce. 

• The most diverse sector is Nuclear where 18.76% of the workforce identify as Women.
• The least diverse sector is Food & Drink where 7.6% of the workforce identify as Women.    

Ethnicity

•          96% of the ECI workforce identify as white. This is compared to 87% of the UK population 

•          2% of the ECI workforce identify as Asian/Asian British. This is compared to 7% of the UK population 

•          1% of the ECI workforce identify as Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups. This is compared to 2% of the UK population 

•          0.6% of the ECI workforce identify as Black/African/Caribbean/Black British This is compared to 3% of the UK population 

•          Across all sectors within ECI (Nuclear, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Renewables, Water Treatment, Food & Drink) there is underrepresentation of ethnic groups across the workforce.

• The most diverse sector is Power Generation with 93% of the workforce identifying as white.
• The least diverse sectors are Chemical and Oil & Gas, each with 97% of the workforce identifying as white.    

The implications of these groups being underrepresented in STEM roles in academia and industry

Lower representation means that employers are missing out on the business benefits a diverse talent pool provides, including a broader range of views and experiences across the workforce, which in turn will increase performance and innovation.

The Engineering Construction Industry needs to ensure that there is a sufficient labour to meet the demands of existing and future projects. If the industry does not nurture a diverse and inclusive workforce, the pool of talent is limited. Additionally, a more diverse workforce also brings diversity of though, bringing different perspectives through changing the makeup of the workforce, which in turn leads to more creativity and innovation.

A greater diversity within the workforce naturally creates a more inclusive workforce, and with inclusivity comes greater job satisfaction, greater retention, greater output.  Even people from majority background are more comfortable bringing their own uniqueness to the workplace.

Finally, ECI is a comparatively well-paid industry, and low diversity means that under-represented groups are excluded from accessing those opportunities and improving their life chances

What has been done to address underrepresentation of particular groups in STEM roles

ECITB has previously run campaigns to support International Women in Engineering Day, Pride, Black History Month. ECITB recognises that there is a myriad of external organisations that specialise in research and guidance to address under-representation and therefore our approach is to work in partnership with them.

ECITB has also approved two diversity and inclusion training courses to help employers enjoy the business benefits that result from encouraging and embracing inclusive behaviours. The courses are certified by the ECITB to an industry-set standard and are aimed to encourage employers to take positive steps to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion across their workforce.

What could and should be done by the UK Government, UK Research and Innovation, other funding bodies, industry and academia to address the issues identified.

There has already been a lot of research undertaken in this area. Further co-ordination and collaboration, to combine the efforts of the many specialist organisations operating in this space, would make it easier for industry to access guidance and receive support in implementing programmes that would ultimately lead to stronger outcomes.

Industry should not consider Diversity and Inclusion as a side issue. Rather it should be treated as a business priority, that requires a robust change management programme. It is a business change/culture change that needs be driven by leadership and involve the wider organisation. It should not be treated as something that minority groups themselves have to fix.

Within business, measurement and reporting of metrics should be encouraged to stimulate the collection of data in the first place. One of the issues in Engineering Construction is that diversity data beyond gender is not collected to any degree. It is extremely challenging to drive action when businesses do not know their baseline or rate of progress.

Other actions that can be taken include:

•          Providing funding for grassroots organisations to work locally on helping to drive wider diversity of candidates into the entry pipeline, at all levels.

•          Providing a continuous stream of visible role models, e.g. This is Engineering campaign by Royal Academy of Engineering.

•          Funding Career advice and education in schools

•          Providing scholarships to incentivise participation from minority groups. 

•          Providing sustainable mentoring programmes for minority groups, using mentors from the same minority group as the mentees.

•          Encourage schools to diversify their curriculum taught content with more relevant examples to attract targeting groups.

(January 2022)