Transitions Stakeholders’ Advisory Network Meeting #9
Exploring UK Engineering Shortages and black & minority ethnic (BAME) under-representation, including
refugee engineers
Workshop notes, 23rd January 2014
Venue: The Stockwell Centre, Stockwell SW4 6RA
Participants (A-Z)
Wahid Ahmad, Civil Engineer
Kevin Bowsher, Network Rail, Diversity &
Inclusion Manager
Joanne Carr, Construction Youth Trust, Schools
& FE Programme Manager
Patricia Chinyoka, Business in the Community,
Diversity Adviser
Bola Fatimilehin, Royal Academy of
Engineering, Diversity Programme Manager
(jobshare) (Presenter)
Iyob Ghebrekristos, Electrical Engineer
(Presenter)
Mustafa Gibril, Petroleum Engineer
Stephanie Green, EDF Power, Recruiter: Nuclear &
Engineering
Mariam Hoosh, IT Programming Engineer
Rebecca Lovelace, Circle 3 Consulting
James Matu, IT support engineer
Aung Phyo Tun, Electrical Engineer
Neil Robertson, EU Skills, Chief Executive (Membership
body for Energy & Utilities sector)
Richard Smith, Talent Retention Solution (TRS),
Engagement Director. Set up by BIS to address
engineering retention & skills shortages
Lucy Stell, FDM Group, Recruitment consultant.
Graduate training and recruitment programme for
IT/Data graduates.
Sheila Heard, Transitions managing director
Martin James, Transitions financial controls and
planning director
Apologies
Wahid Issa, Civil & Structural Engineer
Andrew Midgley, TXM Engineering recruitment
agency, managing director (message sent – see
end of notes)
Carl Dawson, Engineering Grads (now closed),
director. Now director of Prodiversity, online
CPD platform
Sheila Hoile Director, Hoile Associates/Project Manager
Technician Apprenticeship Consortium
Malcolm Peake, Membership Development Officer,
Institution of Civil Engineers
Tracey Shelley, BCECA Director. Trade association of
engineering, procurement, construction & project
management services to the process industries.
Introduction
The aim of the workshop was for delegates to advise Transitions on how its services can contribute to
addressing skills shortages in the UK engineering sector and also contribute to addressing the underrepresentation of black & ethnic minority engineers, in particular refugee engineers. The main issues,
recommendations and suggested actions from the workshop are captured below.
1
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014
Conclusions & Recommendations from forum/group discussions :
1. There is an evidenced under-representation of black and minority ethnic engineers in the UK. The
Royal Academy of Engineering research (see presentation section and copy of presentation on
Transitions website in the ‘ Advisory Network’ tab) describes how 20% of UK engineering graduates
have BAME profiles, however, in the engineering sector, only 6% of engineers have BAME profiles. This
suggests that few of the remaining 14% of UK graduates ie the BAME graduates find employment in the
UK engineering sector.
2. 80% of engineers registered with Transitions have taken study loans and re-qualified in the UK with
second UK Engineering Degrees and UK Masters. They are therefore a part of these ?? UK graduate
statistics. 70% of all refugees, including engineers, experience longterm unemployment. 6 times the UK
national average. http://www.transitions-london.co.uk/docs/Transitions-positive-action-&-CSRinternships-and-employment-services-Autumn-2013.pdf (inside cover)
3. At the same time, the Home Office, for example, report engineering skills shortages (April 2013) in key
areas including : Geotechnical construction, petroleum drilling, oil/gas industry, power distribution,
automotive design, circuit design and geo-environmental engineering.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/shortageoccupationlistn
ov11.pdf
The engineers present at this meeting and others registered with Transitions are representative of
engineers with skills across all these areas. These engineers are seeking skilled work, having applied
intensively to the sector - without success.
It was recommended by several participants in forum discussions that:
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There is a need for a national engineering skills strategy, with key agency/ies appointed to deliver
on the strategy, in order to more efficiently address skills shortages, manage growth and manage
equality and diversity as part of the strategy.

There is a need for engineering employers/the sector to collect better quality data about who is
hired/not hired and why/not. A large proportion of employers have insufficient data to do that.
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There is a need for pipelines/openings to bring refugee engineers into the competitive market for
internships and jobs in a fair, transparent, competency based way, for the mutual benefit of
employers and candidates.
 They are at a major disadvantage against other candidates for most opportunities,
including internships, experiencing 6 times the UK national average levels of
unemployment, while being more highly skilled, as a group.
 Hiring systems are often historically ‘old’ systems and the profiles of refugee
engineers (and other occupations) do not easily fit the existing selection criteria
(such as having several years’ continuous work history with no gaps). Successful
selection also includes the expectation of conducting one or more culturally
defined selection interviews when the opportunities for accessing UK professional
experience to assist with effective interview engagement for refugee engineers is
negligible – ie setting them up to fail in a chicken and egg scenario. Even with 2 or 3
Degrees on their CV’s and international experience.
2
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014
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There is a need for better information about where vacancies exist. Several candidates mentioned
that they are not aware enough of where to find vacancies for jobs or internships and/or that
vacancies are filled via word of mouth, while they have very limited professional networks, as
individuals who are relatively new to the UK.
Mentoring programmes: several organisations recommended mentoring/coaching by employers –
to assist employers to understand who and why they are turning away and to assist candidates to
present themselves competitively by knowing about the ‘unwritten rules’. (note from Transitions:
Transitions runs a coaching workshop for corporates and a peer coaching service, currently with 10
peer coaching pairs. However, mentoring/coaching without internships is unlikely to impact
strongly on employment outcomes for refugee professionals in our experience)
Transitions could consider engaging a high profile individual to raise the profile of Transitions’
candidates.
Actions by Transitions as a result of recommendations:
1. Internships programme to continue http://www.transitionslondon.co.uk/index.php/services-for-employers
2. Corporate staff-volunteer coaching workshops to continue
http://www.transitions-london.co.uk/index.php/services-for-employers
3. Increase use of website and linked in to inform candidates of internships
and job adverts
4. Increase use of website and linked in to inform employers of candidates
http://www.transitions-london.co.uk/index.php/candidateprofiles
5. Increase active encouragement to employer clients to monitor refugee
applications and outcomes and analyse the data
6. Continue collaborative work in sector-wide initiatives to co-ordinate
diversity management and fill skills gap
7. Continue to seek advice from former Transition clients who are employed
and to continue peer coaching by employed and jobseeking to exchange
their views, information and experience.
8. Continue to try to create relationships with other, larger, recruitment
agencies to increase opportunities.
3
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014
Presentations
Please see PowerPoint presentations on ‘Advisory Network’ tab of Transitions’ website.
Transitions presentation: Brief introduction to Transitions. (see website for copy)
Presentation: Bola Fatimilehin, Royal Academy of Engineering, Diversity Programme Manager (jobshare)
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4 year project key aim is too increase diversity across the engineering profession for study,
employment & professional registration
Diversity includes gender, socioeconomic disadvantage, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion
& belief. Refugees not specified as a discrete group.
6% of employed professional engineers have BAME profiles while they represent 20% of
engineering graduates.

6 key strands of work are underway in the project: stakeholder engagement/evidencing/sharing
good practice/Engineering Diversity Concordat/Employer strand (see below) /internal diversity.
Cross-cutting themes: Research/Engineering Council/Data predictions & analysis

The employer word strand: engaging with employers. 40 have joined. Meets 2-3 times per year.

Range of 2014 events planned
Approach informed also by the Perkins review:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/engineering-skills-perkins-review
Bola referred to a ‘leaky pipeline’ where engineer applicants are ‘lost’ along the route and not hired.
Barriers at different points for different reasons. RAE has been looking at addressing issues such as
unconscious bias with training.
Comments/ Q&A’s
Q. What kind of ‘power’ do you have to influence good practice?
A. RAE isn’t a regulating body. We don’t have a ‘big stick’. We are encouraging things such as Key
Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in order to assist organisations to monitor the results of their processes
more.
(comments from some organisations: KPI’s and the targets that are often used as part of working with KPI’s
are not necessarily an effective way to encourage effective processes or results)
Q Do you monitor the number of vacancies opening up and shortages?
4
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014
A. No. Engineering UK http://www.engineeringuk.com/Research/Engineering_UK_Report_2014/ provide
an annual report on the state of the sector.
Q How else can good practice be monitored without KPI’s?
A One way is to suggest quotas for under-represented groups. Not always seen as a good method. One big
problem is that many organisations don’t even keep data. We want them to at least collect, then
share/aggregate data. We want to start where organisations are and try to move it on. Sometimes we fund
specific things.
In February we are talking with the Diversity Concordat group about KPI’s.
Q Will that discussion and decisions be published?
A We would like to.
Presentation ended with a call to action to engage with Transitions engineers and review processes.
Presentation:
Iyob Ghebrekristos, Electrical Engineer
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Currently employed by temp agency as electrician’s mate
Graduate Electrical Engineer in UK (2:1) with 17th Edition electrical qualification in addition
Physics Graduate from Eritrea, with electrical experience in Eritrea
Seeking Graduate Scheme job in Power Transmission or internship (made many unsuccessful
applications, including several via Transitions)
IET Graduate member
Eritrean career development heavily affected by local political and economic issues and eventually
forced to flee to safety overseas
Issues that refugee professionals in UK face in the graduate market:
- Professional disorientation (even when they have requalified in UK Universities)
- NARIC/professional bodies under-valuing overseas qualifications/experience = many engineers
decide to take on student loans and study again for UK degrees from year 1 (necessary?
Alternatives? )
not
- Cross-cultural effects on applications/interviews: few refugee engineers and interviewers have
mutually compatible cross-cultural capital without the candidate having completed a UK internship.
Eritreans, for example, are culturally modest and promoting strengths in an interview is culturally
a norm. Many interviewers are not aware of the un/conscious cultural bias they are using to select
candidates regardless of the candidates’ professional skills.
5
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014
Suggestions from Iyob Ghebrekristos:
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Evidence the problem with academic research
Find pathways for refugee engineers to access internships
Provide employers with information about refugee rights and skills
Raise the issues in the media
Comments/Q&A’s
Q Are you looking for a graduate power engineering job?
A Yes
Q Do you ask for feedback after unsuccessful interviews?
A Yes. They usually refuse, stating high numbers of applicants
(note from Transitions: Transitions accesses feedback for candidates and Iyob is aware of several employers’
feedback and taking it into account for applications.)
Q Have you tried to change how you present your applications?
A Yes.
(Note from Transitions: Transitions provides workshops, peer coaching, examples, advice and a second
opinion on written applications and have provided this to Iyob several times.)
Further comment from Iyob: What I lack is a good network. That is how to hear about jobs and gain more
of a chance of entry.
Comment: One employed refugee accountant summarised his route into accountancy employment, which
involved work experience and effective networking. He encouraged candidates to network widely in order
to hear about opportunities.
Comment: The sector/employers need to look at their processes and outcomes – analyse the routes and
see where and why candidates are lost or selected.
6
Transitions London C.I.C. www.transitions-london.co.uk
enquiries@transitions-london.co.uk
Tel 020 86424431
2014