E3R champions Inclusivity Campaign

E3R champions Inclusivity Campaign

E3R attended the launch of the Inclusivity Campaign, a new initiative to make the engineering and manufacturing sector more inclusive, diverse and ultimately more competitive, backed by Baroness Lorely Burt.

Balfour Beatty has backed the campaign with Aaron Reid, Head of Sustainable Procurement speaking at the event and companies Mahle Power Train and Anochrome Group also attended the launch.

Within the manufacturing and engineering sector, the skills gap, the ageing workforce and an under representation of female workers and variety of ethnicities remain key issues.

In an effort to reverse this trend and raise awareness of the benefits of having a diverse workforce, the Inclusivity Campaign is asking employers to continually improve by pledging their commitment to adopting and following these guiding principles:
• Awareness: Cross company education top down, to better understand and demonstrate appreciation of the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to business
• Best Practice Recruitment: Engage and attract new people from underrepresented groups
• Staff Development: Training/promotion policies that offer equal opportunities for career progression
• Staff Engagement: Maintain an inclusive culture where all staff engage with developing, delivering, monitoring and assessing the diversity and inclusivity policies

Baroness Burt who spoke at the launch event commented: “Some companies take great strides to ensure that each member of their workforce is valued and treated equally, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, cultural background and other elements of diversity which can enable better decision-making and ultimately, a healthier bottom line.

“I applaud the work of organisations like the Made in Group, which is creating an Inclusivity Campaign to encourage manufacturing and engineering companies to make the most of diversity in their workforce. There is significant competitive advantage to be gained by a company recruiting from a diverse talent pool and also offering the same routes for progression once in post to all employers. We believe that by raising awareness of this and better equipping employers to implement this approach, we can make strides in reversing the skills shortage within UK industry.”

James Soden, E3R Director who attended the launch added: “Addressing the skills gaps remains a key priority for the industry and businesses deemed diverse and inclusive recruit from a wider talent pool, incorporating people from different backgrounds with different perspectives. Being able to access strong talent pools is crucial to enable employers to improve their productivity and ultimately grow.”

To find out more about the Inclusivity Campaign please visit www.madeequal.com 

26th January 2018

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