As professionals working in STEM industries our strength lies in our ability to find solutions to the most challenging problems society faces. At the Royal Academy of Engineering we recognise that inequity in the engineering workforce – a lack of fair or equal outcomes for people from underrepresented groups – restricts our ability to find the best solutions, and is itself an injustice that must be addressed.
Yesterday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, chaired by Chi Onwurah MP, an engineer by profession, released the report from its inquiry into equity in the STEM workforce. The report provides strong analysis of the challenge, concrete examples of good practice, and recommendations to move STEM organisations and policy makers forwards on this critical issue.
Key findings and recommendations
The inquiry found that inequity in the STEM workforce is widespread for those from underrepresented groups evident across ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual identity, geography and socio-economic status. The evidence received shows how barriers appear for every underrepresented group along the career pathway – from issues in recruitment and retention, to access to mentors, professional development and leadership roles.
Crucially, the report makes clear recommendations to the UK Government and STEM organisations calling for a ‘STEM Diversity Decade of Action’, a statutory workforce data strategy, and a response that acknowledges the worsening inequity in the workforce as a result of the pandemic.
Overwhelming evidence demands action
The Academy is proud to sponsor this APPG and to have contributed evidence as part of the inquiry. We endorse the rigorous process that produced the findings in the report and welcome all the recommendations. This important piece of work comes just a week after Sir Lewis Hamilton and the Royal Academy of Engineering published the Hamilton Commission report Accelerating Change: Improving the representation of Black people in UK motorsport. Many of the issues identified by the Hamilton Commission are replicated across the wider engineering profession, as seen in the APPG inquiry. The overwhelming evidence presented here, and in meaningful explorations of these themes over many years, shows that inequity in the workforce and the negative impact of prejudice on underrepresented groups is no longer in doubt. These recommendations mark a path towards a more equitable future and should be adopted in full.
The Academy plays a leading role in the profession. We influence policy and provide resources, insight and a positive challenge to engineering employers, researchers, educators and professional institutions across the UK and beyond. Our overarching goal is to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone, and we know that we can only deliver this as part of a diverse community of engineers using all their talents to build supportive, inclusive organisations where ideas thrive and the strongest solutions to the most challenging problems are found.
To find out how your organisation can contribute to this vision visit www.raeng.org.uk/diversity-in-engineering
To read the APPG report in full visit www.britishscienceassociation.org/appg