{"id":71770,"date":"2020-02-13T12:42:22","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T12:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=71770"},"modified":"2020-02-13T12:42:22","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T12:42:22","slug":"boost-diversity-in-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/boost-diversity-in-infrastructure\/71770\/","title":{"rendered":"London Mayor to boost diversity in infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan<\/a>, has set out plans to boost diversity in infrastructure, as a new report commissioned by City Hall revealed women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, disabled and LGBTQ+ Londoners are significantly underrepresented in the industry<\/h2>\n

Sustainable growth in London is dependent on diverse and inclusive workforce which reflects the city it serves \u2013 however many of London\u2019s communities have long been under-represented in the industry.<\/p>\n

Supporting diversity and inclusion in the infrastructure sector<\/h3>\n

The report confirms women are under-represented in the industry<\/a> compared to the economy as a whole: 21% versus 47% across all industries. Meanwhile, only 6% of those in the industry are from a BAME background, compared to an average of 15% across all industries.<\/p>\n

The report identifies a range of socio-economic factors that act as barriers to entering the infrastructure industry. They include the industry having a \u2018white male\u2019 image, which is reinforced by a lack of exposure to the sector through school career guidance.<\/p>\n

Recommended measures to address this include proactive outreach and mentoring initiatives, as well as better advertising of work experience placements.<\/p>\n

More specifically, the Mayor is committing to using his existing London Enterprise Adviser<\/a> Network to reach every London primary school over the next three years to promote the infrastructure sector and highlight ways in which under-represented communities can make their way into infrastructure careers.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure advisory panel<\/h3>\n

Sadiq has also today launched his new panel, comprising 43 leading figures from the infrastructure and development field who will advise the Mayor on a range of issues. The membership of the panel is 30% BAME and 70% women.<\/p>\n

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:\u00a0\u201cIn a city as dynamic as London, our infrastructure should be the envy of the world \u2013 a vital way of ensuring it\u2019s as good as it possibly can be is to help the sector reflect the range of talent in the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to announce the steps we\u2019ll be taking to help increase diversity and inclusion in the infrastructure sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m clear that your background should never be a barrier to what you can achieve \u2013 and I\u2019m determined to do all I can to help London\u2019s best and brightest make use of their skills across this important field.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mayor is also launching measures to help the infrastructure sector cut congestion and disruption:<\/h3>\n