Challenges with diversity and inclusion within the engineering and technology sector are not just being faced by those working in the industry, but are prominent among engineering students who are part of underrepresented groups with protected characteristics. Students from diverse backgrounds face additional challenges in securing graduate employment in engineering. Statistics around student diversity in engineering paints a stark picture about the employment opportunities available to underrepresented groups.
- Six months after graduation only 39% of students from ethnic minority backgrounds, who are in employment, are working in engineering roles, compared to 57% of their white counterparts. (Higher Education Statistics Agency)
- 34.7% of female graduates of engineering and technology degrees are not employed within the industry after 6 months, in comparison to 28.5% of graduates. (2018, State of Engineering, EngineeringUK)
- Only 12.4% of all engineers in the UK are women, in comparison to 46.9% of the UK workforce comprising of women. (2018, State of Engineering, EngineeringUK)
- LGBT+ students are more likely to stop studying STEM degrees than straight students. (Bryce E. Hughes)
- 14.5% of all UK students have a known disability (Higher Education Statistics Agency), and it is unknown what the reported statistic for the statistics in industry due to a lack of wider data collection.
To make a significant impact on the diversity of the engineering workforce, better support needs to be made available to engineering students in securing employment over a longer period during their studies.
EqualEngineers are launching their exciting new solution, the EqualEngineers Pathways Programme. The purpose of this programme is to provide students with a variety of supportive elements to ensure greater employability outcomes after graduation, and to improve their sense of inclusion and belonging within the engineering and technology industry.
The Pathways Programme will run alongside the academic year, providing students access to:
- In-person careers insights and employability workshop sessions.
- Virtual training on work readiness and interpersonal skills development.
- A mentoring programme that will pair-up students with engineers from industry, to improve their understanding of employment and provide support to their concerns.
- Opportunities for work experience, placement, internship and graduate roles.
For more information, click here to visit our Pathways Programme webpage.
Organisations that are taking part in the programme are looking to support the necessity to improve the employability opportunities of students from diverse backgrounds, and are striving to impact their own organisation’s inclusive culture. The EqualEngineers Pathways Programme is launching with initial partner organisations comprising of Rolls-Royce and First Bus.
Mark McBride-Wright, Founder & Managing Director, EqualEngineers:
“Students from underrepresented backgrounds are facing barriers to getting the employment they seek once they graduate. Statistics show that there is a problem in the engineering and technology industry and we at EqualEngineers are seeking to form part of the solution for this.
Our Pathways Programme will be an opportunity for students to gain invaluable learning and experiences that can support them when they begin to seek graduate employment. The delivery of training and workshops will cover knowledge and skills that may be missing from their university education, or support from careers teams. Implementing a mentoring programme will introduce these students to actual engineers working within their industry, giving direct one-to-one contact for queries, concerns and support.
We are delighted to be welcoming our employer partners of the Pathways Programme. McLaren Racing, Rolls-Royce and First Bus are determined to support us in creating a more inclusive employability environment for diverse students.”
Ellie Long, Early Careers Business Partner from Rolls-Royce:
“We’re proud to be a founding partner of the new EqualEngineers Pathways Programme. We’ve supported EqualEngineers since 2017 as a headline sponsor of their inaugural student event. The impact of Covid-19 on students and young people has been profound, and particularly affected the opportunities of those disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups. As we actively work to increase the diversity of our teams and take deliberate actions to increase the representation of different groups in our workforce, The Pathways Programme will help us build deeper relationships with these students and will help us attract the diverse engineering talent we need for the future.”
Ian Warr, Director of Engineering, First Bus:
“We are delighted that First Bus is a founding sponsor of EqualEngineers’ Pathways Programme. Our teams, like the wonderfully diverse communities and customers that we serve, thrive when there’s a rich mix of backgrounds, experiences and skills. By supporting EqualEngineers, we can help to ensure that students from underrepresented backgrounds have a greater chance of finding rewarding employment once they graduate; increasing vital diversity within the engineering workforce of tomorrow.”
For more information, click here to visit our Pathways Programme webpage.