Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Construction
Part of the 2021 Construction Series
Online Event 14 September 2021, 9:00am - 1:00pm
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Day 1
9:00am
Online Registration
9:30am
Chair's Welcome Address
Dr Julius Akotia, PgDip, MSc, PhD (CPM), FHEA, MCIOB, Senior Lecturer – School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering
9:40am
Building Back Better: The Importance of EDI in Construction Post-Pandemic
- The business case for diversity in construction – adding value to the UK economy, providing opportunities, and solving problems
- The work of the EHRC during and post-pandemic
Helen Mahy CBE, Equality and Human Rights Commission
10:00am
Changing the Face of Construction
- Generating ROI and social value with pathways to employment
- Accelerating the drive for a more inclusive and diverse supply chain
- Influencing policy, practices, and perceptions of the construction sector
- Building the future: a model for increasing women’s participation in construction
Jacqui Wordsworth, Business Development Director, Women Into Construction
10:20am
Building Equality
- Improving ethnic minority representation and retention in the built environment sector
- Facilitating inclusive work environments to attract a diverse workforce
- Increasing participation through empowerment and education
- Business-critical: EDI for improved organisational performance
Amos Simbo - Director, Winway & Chairman - BPIC Network
10:40am
Questions And Answers Session
11:05am
Break and Networking
11:35am
A Space for Everyone
- Combatting discrimination and making safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people in construction
- Exploring the ways in which lived experiences can improve the built environment for everyone
- The importance of Networks and the impact COVID-19 has had on them
- Allyship in the workplace – what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ Ally and ways in which we can support one another
Jyoti Sehdev – Group EDI Lead & Senior Engineer, Costain, and LGBT+ & Allies Network Chair
11:55am
Case Study: Systematic Inclusion - Design No Barriers
- Awareness that current design is based on a ‘mythical average’ ‘and how this impacts everything from safety to belonging
- Introduction to reviewing CDM 2015 with an EDI lens to fully appreciate how to create a equitably safe work site
- Outcome from Heathrow’s pilot project
- What are the next steps to being the change we want to see
Jenny McLaughlin - Project Manager – Infrastructure, Heathrow Airport
12:15pm
Routes to Success - Social Mobility and Intersectionality in the Built Environment
- A personal insight into challenges relating to social mobility and intersectionality
- Drivers for change: the impact of improved diversity on the built environment
- Providing pathways to improve social mobility in construction through early intervention, education and visibility
- Equity and Positive Discrimination
Roni Savage - MD, Jomas Associates & Policy Chair, Construction FSB
12:35pm
Questions And Answers Session
1:00pm
Chair’s Summary And Close
Dr Julius Akotia, PgDip, MSc, PhD (CPM), FHEA, MCIOB, Senior Lecturer – School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering