EDI Update

At the start of 2023 we launched an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Focus Group. EDI was already written into our employee handbook and our culture, but we knew that we could be doing more to go beyond the basic legal requirements, and use an EDI platform to educate, celebrate and raise awareness on a variety of topics. We were already a signatory to the CIHT EDI Charter, and this gave us a framework to help produce an EDI strategy for AWP.

In late 2023 we ran the first EDI survey across the office, to gather baseline information to benchmark ourselves against in years to come – monitoring and reflection forms a key part of ongoing strategy development. The results of the survey were a valuable tool in developing our strategy for EDI across 2024/25. Using the survey outcomes, we established a list of priorities which the EDI Focus Group presented to the Leadership Team. These included committing to being a Disability Confident Employer, signing the Charter for being a Mindful Employer, providing a resource area on the company intranet with information on EDI topics, support services and signposting, and formalising a staff wellbeing strategy. 

Following discussions with the Leadership Team, we are proud to say that we are now a Disability Confident Employer, meaning that amongst other things we are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is as inclusive and accessible as possible, that we will provide reasonable adjustments as required, and that we will support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work. 

We have also signed the Mindful Employer Charter; a scheme which was started by our local mental health Trust, which recognises that we are committed to creating a supportive and open culture, where colleagues feel able to talk about mental health confidently, and aspire to appropriately support the mental wellbeing of all staff. We also have a number of Mental Health First Aiders at AWP who are pivotal in helping us to maintain our wellbeing and drive inclusivity and openness with mental health.

In our first year of having the EDI Focus Group, we have also:

-       Celebrated Pride month with various activities and fundraising for Proud2Be

-       Supported Time to Talk Day, World Mental Health Day and World Suicide Prevention Day

-       Attended various webinars and CPD activities focusing on EDI in the Engineering Industry

-       Continued to support Women and Girls in STEM

-       Supported educating the wider office on various EDI topics through presentations, posters and external talks.

We look forward to continuing our EDI growth and seeing our strategy develop over the next year and beyond.