Everything we do as a professional engineering institute (PEI) gives us a potential opportunity to increase diversity and inclusion (D&I) in engineering, but how can we make sure that happens? That is the question that representatives from UK institutes are working on in the Implementation Group for the Royal Academy of Engineering/Science Council’s ‘Progression Framework’ for diversity and inclusion.
The Implementation Group has a new Chair, Terry Fuller, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM). Implementation Group members come from the staff and volunteer sides of various institutes and the Engineering Council. I have been involved for several years, starting when I was Chair of BINDT’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, but continuing because I believe that professional engineering institutes play such an important role in shaping the culture of the engineering community. The Progression Framework identifies all the interactions and activities that an institute typically carries out, such as events, membership, training and awards, which are all ways in which institutes can use their influence in their professional communities.
Driving our work in the Progression Framework Implementation Group is the prospect of a more inclusive engineering community, where people’s careers and aspirations can proceed and flourish without unfair barriers or limitations. A recent publication[1] shared with the Implementation Group asked some very relevant questions for professional bodies and institutes: Are we making our professions attractive and accessible to people from all parts of society? Are we retaining a diverse membership through all stages of the professional journeys we offer? Do any aspects of our membership structures present barriers to specific groups? Interestingly, the authors were not engineering institutes, but you can see that they are raising issues that we can easily relate to at BINDT.
An important question for members: Is my professional body helping me contribute my talents and insights to my profession and my community? At BINDT, we still need to improve the ways that a wider range of people can contribute to our committees so that we can make sure that what we are doing properly represents the whole of our community. This is a fundamental issue of governance and is quite difficult to solve. While there is always going to be something of a learning process in getting involved in the work of the BINDT committees, Branches and groups, we need to help people who have expressed an interest to get through that as smoothly as possible to be able to contribute without being deterred. The Early Careers Branch is helping here. Remote meetings instigated due to COVID-19 have also turned out to increase inclusion. With hybrid meetings now common, have we fully exploited this to bring in a wider range of participants?
Something we have carried out at BINDT as a direct result of the implementation of the Progression Framework was to revise the criteria in our prizes and awards. Inspired by some big improvements carried out at other institutes, a group of us from BINDT’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, Awards Committee (Croxson Committee) and the Head of Awards had a look at all the rules and stipulations. Hopefully, it is now clearer who can receive the awards, what type of achievements are eligible and how you can nominate your colleagues (or yourself!).
The Royal Academy of Engineering/Science Council Progression Framework Implementation Group is currently running some workshops to look at the next steps for the Progression Framework. If you have any thoughts on how institutes can influence change in the engineering community, and what would help make this easier, then please get in touch.
Reference
- ‘Using data to grow inclusive and diverse professional communities: A guide for professional bodies’. Available at: https://sciencecouncil.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Using-data-to-grow-inclusive-professions-FINAL.pdf
If you have any thoughts or ideas, or are interested in joining the D&I Advisory Group, please get in touch: diversity@bindt.org
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