A Time For Change In Our Industry Black Lives Matter
The next edition to the Cudd Bentley blog features Denisha Forde, a Junior Electrical Engineer, who shares her experience as young black female in the engineering industry.
The construction industry is faced with a huge challenge in tackling skills shortages and a huge opportunity to fix it: diversity and inclusion. Women make up only 14% of the workforce, while just 5.4% of workers are from BAME communities (UK Construction Online). Also while the engineering profession is broad and full of opportunities, just 7.8% of engineering professionals are from BAME backgrounds (Royal Academy of Engineering).
“Although I’ve never been discriminated for being black in this industry,” Denisha shares, “I have been discriminated for being female.” The numbers really speak for themselves and the diversity of the industry as a whole is something that’s apparent to every engineer on a daily basis, if they want to see it. That said, “working at Cudd Bentley Consulting, I believe they are a very diverse company. I believe their ethics are not based on gender, age or race, rather on how well a person can contribute to expanding the business and being a team player,” says Denisha.
Black Lives Matter has shone a light on so many areas of our lives and the time is now to educate ourselves and stop brushing the diversity problem under the carpet. “Of course there is a lack of black people in the industry,” says Denisha, “however I think, even if we were to encourage people to join the construction/engineering industry they need to have a passion for it, that’s the challenge, getting black people engaged in a career that’s seemingly not meant for them, or that they don’t have many role models in.”
The feeling that engineering is not a career meant for a black person becomes all the more staggering when you look at the inventions and influences black people have had on the industry, for example did you know in 1879 WM Bailles patented the ladder/scaffold support? And this is just one of many examples.
“We all need to do more, like volunteering on career days in schools, universities and giving speeches at events like future build, that are related to the industry,” comments Denisha. However, she continues, “Employers also need to do everything they can to make sure there is no discrimination and there are consequences put in place for employees who do not obey this. Employers also need to listen to their staff and be highly observant of the current situation in the media. This way they can educate themselves and ensure there are equal opportunities available.”
In terms of advice for any engineer starting in the industry, Denisha says, “you need to be open minded, do not expect every person to treat you the same, stand up, be a team player, and be proud that you are making a difference in the industry by being there and being heard.”
An initiative Cudd Bentley is firmly in support of is ‘The Hamilton Commission’, a partnership between the Royal Academy of Engineering and six time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton. It is a research partnership dedicated to exploring how motorsport can be used as a vehicle to engage more young people from black backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
See below for a list of other initiatives and resources aimed at improving racial equality in our industry: