Engineering Sciences Faculty

Equality and Diversity Action Plan

June 2013

The main areas for improvement within the Faculty of Engineering Sciences are (i) few female academic staff (ii) few black academic members of staff (although other ethinicity’s are represented) and (iii) the percentage applications from BME staff being significantly greater than percentage appointments to professional services positions.

Engineering has recently focused attention on the lack of female staff applying for academic positions, alongside reviewing its recent less successful than hopedAthena SWAN award submissions. We will address our lack of achievement in this areaby engaging, via UCL Equalities and Diversity division, Harriet Jones (Policy Advisor – Athena SWAN and women in SET) for one day per weekto provide dedicated support for our Athena SWAN applications and to embed improved action plans.

The Faculty commenced using an executive search agency for recruitment to Head of Department positions with effect from September 2011. The aim was twofold: to achieve our strategy of recruiting the best from a global field, and to leverage the agency’s global network to bring candidates to our attention we would not otherwise have reached. Whilst this strategy has so far resulted in two excellent appointments, the exercise has not yet borne fruit in improving gender balance or ethnic diversity of shortlisted and appointed candidates.

The Faculty has a diverse student ethnicity profile, but still shows an attainment gap of ~6% between white and BME students’ achievement of a 1st or 2:1 degree between 2007-2010. Since 2011, the Faculty has been directly supporting the work of Generating Genius, a charity that works with high-achieving children and young people from challenging backgrounds where there has been no tradition of entry to higher education, with the aim of enabling them to win places at top universities. Our association with Generating Genius underlines our expectation that all our students will excel, no matter their background, and that we positively support students from challenging backgrounds.

Professor Anthony Finkelstein

June 2013

Issue and area for action identified / Actions / Timescales / Accountability / Responsibility / Success Measures
1 / Costs of childcare discourages (female) staff attendance at conferences. / Establish a faculty fund for conference attendance focussed on support for childcare costs, open to male and female staff members. / October 2013 / Anthony Finkelstein / FM /
  • Uptake of funding.
  • Analysis of uptake (male/female; reports from recipients; increased uptake over time).

2 / Number of BME appointees to professional services positions far fewer than applicant numbers. / Unconscious Bias training for all DM’s and recruiting managers. / Three sessions within the 12 months to June 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / FM/DMs /
  • Minimum two professional services staff per department trained.
  • Percentage BME appointees is in line with percentage BME appointments for the period Sept 2014 – Aug 2015.
  • Application and appointment percentage remains in-line post-August 2015.

Further analysis of data to identify if there are specific roles, or any trends. / October 2013 / Anthony Finkelstein / FM/Fiona McClement
3 / Seniority of female academic staff / All departments to have a Deputy HoD and to encourage women to take up these positions as a transition to a Headship. / October 2013 / Anthony Finkelstein / HoDs /
  • At least one female Deputy HoD by September 2015.
  • At least one female HoDby 2016.

4 / Low numbers of black members of academic staff. / Examine applicant ethnicity data and consult the Race Equality Steering Group. / June 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / FM/Dean /
  • Increase percentage applications from black applicants (aim: 10%)
  • Increase percentage appointments of black applicants (aim: 10%)

5 / Attainment gap between white and BME students / Promote participation in UCL’s Transitions Programme. / November 2013 / Anthony Finkelstein / Communications Manager/Admissions Tutors /
  • Reduction from 6% for period 2007-2010, to (minimum) 2% for period 2013-2016.

6 / Attracting females to apply for academic positions. / Review language used in job advertisements – present Engineering as ‘people-centred’. Civil Engineering suggested as an example of good practice; others to be identified outside UCL/sector. / January 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / Communications Manager/external marketing advisors /
  • Increase of female shortlisted candidates (aim: 50%) by 2020
  • Increase of female appointments (aim: 50%) by 2020
  • Headhunters no longer required by 2018 due to Engineering attracting sufficient numbers of applications from suitably qualified female candidates.

At least one female applicant on every shortlist; if no women apply or the female applicants do not meet the criteria, an executive search firm is to be used to identify and engage with suitable candidates. / With effect from 1st September 2013. / Anthony Finkelstein / Heads of Department/recruit-ing managers
There is a much higher percentage of Chinese female post-docs than found in other nationalities/cultures. Hold focus groups with these students to identify why engineering is more appealing to women from other cultural backgrounds. / April 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / Faculty Tutor in tandem with Departmental Graduate Tutors
Collect and publish case studies on academic staff that work part-time. / May 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / HoDs
Better utilise female academic networks to encourage more women to apply for posts. / March 2014 / Anthony Finkelstein / Communications Manager/external marketing advisors

1