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Written evidence House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee Diversity in STEM DATE OF SUBMISSION: 14 January 2022 In response to: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1639/diversity-in- stem/news/159084/improving-diversity-in-stem-mps-launch-inquiry/ 1. About the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) 1.1 The Royal Aeronautical Society is the only global organisation serving the entire aerospace, aviation and space community as both a learned society and a professional engineering institution. As such, the Society is independent, evidence-based and authoritative, relying on a body of knowledge going back more than 150 years. The Society plays a leading role in influencing opinion on aerospace aviation and space matters, through various means, including its extensive events programme. 1.2 This response has been constructed with the input of the RAeS Diversity & Inclusion Committee (D&I Ctte) (formed in 2017) and the RAeS Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee (WAAC) (formed in 2009). The RAeS is a signatory to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Engineering Diversity Concordat and a supporting organisation of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter. The Society’s approach to diversity and inclusion is award-winning, with the Society being named the “Best Professional Engineering Institution” for its diversity and inclusion efforts at the 2020 Engineering Talent Awards.
2. Response to Inquiry Questions
2.1 Question 1. The nature or extent to which women, ethnic minorities, people
with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are
underrepresented in STEM in academia and industry.
2.1.1 The Royal Aeronautical Society has seen its global female membership increase
from 5% in 2015 to 10% in 2019 and now to 14.1% in 2021. The number of female
Fellows has also increased (from 2.5% in 2015, to 3.6% in 2019 and now to 4.6% in
2021) and for the first time in the Society’s history, all three of its boards are chaired
by women, one of whom is also a member of an ethnic minority. The Society's Council of
30 is diverse in make-up: 30% female, 20% BAME, 3% LGBT.
2.1.2 With regard to registration with the Engineering Council, among total
registrants with the Society, the percentage of women has increased from 4% in 2015
to 5.8% in 2020, with registration at Chartered Engineer level in particular showing an
increase of women from 3.7% in 2015 to 5.9% in 2020. Whilst these upwards trends
for female participation are to be welcomed, they still show that women are
significantly under-represented within the Society.
2.1.3 The Society of course recruits its members from the wider aviation and aerospace
sector and its membership reflects that sector’s make-up. The latest available figures1
from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that only 4.9% of licensed Air Transport
Pilots are women, from a total licensed population of 12,431. There are even fewer
female Air Transport Helicopter pilots – just 2.7% of the total. Data on female engineers
in the aerospace design and manufacturing and airline maintenance, repair and overhaul
businesses is harder to come by. The UK CAA only gathers figures on age for licensed
aircraft engineers. However, Airbus stated in 2018 that 17% of its workforce was
female2.
1
UK CAA Flight Crew Licence Age Profile as at 31/12/2018 (Med Cert Holders Only).
2
Promoting gender equality at Airbus.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 22.1.4 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted in 2018 that less
than 3% of airlines had a female CEO3. However, some areas in the world are making
progress on this front; five of the major airlines in Africa are led by women compared to
none in the UK4. In the United Arab Emirates, the two major airlines, Etihad and
Emirates, have stated that 42-50% of their workforce is female, however, amongst
pilots, this number falls to around 1.5%5. The aerospace design and manufacturing
company Strata employed 86% women in the UAE in 20186. 40% of the UAE Space
Agency’s technical personnel are women. The flight training schools in the region state
that 11% of their pilot students are female, which is twice the industry average7. In
India, women have recently been cleared to undertake all roles in the Air Force, and as
of September 2020, there were 1,875 female officers serving in the IAF, including 10
pilots and 18 navigators8. 600 of the country’s 5,100 commercial pilots have been
reported to be women. These figures pre-date the current Covid-19 pandemic, the full
impact of which on these figures is yet to be seen, given the serious challenges the
airline industry has been placed under.
2.1.5 Information for other characteristics is less certain with a lack of data for the
aerospace and aviation sector. The Society does gather ethnicity data on its own
membership, but declaration rates are low (at 39%). Of those who did declare, 24.5%
were from a minority ethnic background. The Society is of course a global one, so not all
our members will come from the UK, which further complicates the understanding of
ethnic make-up. More detailed analysis, excluding non-fee- paying members and those
from the overseas Divisions from this group, shows that there are significant variations
within the various minority ethnic groups. For instance, “Asian or Asian British (Indian)”
is the largest group (some 31% of this group) whilst “Black or Black British (Caribbean)”
only constitutes 2% of this group. Fantasy Wings, who run a programme to encourage
those from ethnic minority backgrounds to pursue a career as a pilot, states that only
7% of pilots in the UK are from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background.
2.1.6 The situation is similar with regard to disability. 36% of Society members have
declared whether they had a disability or not. Of these 0.9% declared themselves as
having a disability. In considering this, it should be remembered that the Society has a
3
Advancing Gender Balance by 2025 – IATA.
4
Women-in-Leadership-Roles-in-Aviation-Closing-the-Gender-Gap.pdf (afraa.org)
5
With aviation sector taking off strongly, more women taking to the skies - Business - Emirates24|7 (emirates247.com)
6
Emirati women reach for the stars and beyond (thenationalnews.com)
7
UAE pilot training academy seeks more women to tackle global shortage (thenationalnews.com)
8
Parliament proceedings | IAF has 10 women fighter pilots - The Hindu
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 3significant number of members who have retired from the sector; 18% of Society
members are aged 61 years or older.
2.1.7 The Society does not currently gather data on sexual orientation or gender
identity but is currently making the necessary system changes to allow it to do so in
future. We also do not collect data on socio-economic background. We intend to run a
campaign in 2022 to encourage declarations from our membership both in these new
categories and in existing categories where declaration rates are currently low.
2.1.8 However, better data is available for those employed in the Space sector. The
2020 Space Census9 was conducted by the Space Skills Alliance. Amongst its
findings, this showed that:
• Women make up 29% of the space workforce and they are younger on average
than men.
• There is more ethnic diversity among women in space than among men (14% of
women vs 9% of men), primarily driven by people of Asian descent (9% vs 5%),
and women are more likely to be from outside the UK (23% vs 16%).
• Trans people make up about 1% of the space sector, on par with estimates for
the wider population. About a quarter say they are not comfortable being open
about their gender transition.
• LGBQ+ people appear to be well represented (10% vs 4–7% in the population
at large). About a quarter say they are not comfortable being open about their
sexuality. Younger people are more likely to identify as LGBQ+ (20% of 18–24s
vs 5% of 50–54s).
• Ethnic minorities are under-represented (11% vs 14% in the population at
large), particularly in industry and government, and compared to STEM
graduates.
• Disabled people are under-represented (8% vs 13% in the wider workforce), but
most (87%) are comfortable being open about their disability.
9
2020 Space Census.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 4• People from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds are over-
represented, with the proportion of privately educated people more than twice
the national average.
2.2 Question 2. The reasons why these groups are underrepresented.
2.2.1 In 2009 the Society launched a significant report, “The Future for Women in
Aviation and Aerospace”10. More than a decade later, whilst some improvement in the
representation of women has occurred, the pace of change has been slow and many of
the challenges identified in that report remain relevant to today’s context. As the
Society’s focus on diversity and inclusion has broadened in recent years beyond
gender, it is important to recognise that the reasons for underrepresentation can vary
widely for different groups and even within some protected characteristics, such as
race or sexual orientation, there are different challenges. Furthermore, understanding
the impact of intersectionality between characteristics, especially when considering
aspects such as socio-economic background, are becoming increasingly important.
Culture
2.2.2 What is generally common to all instances of underrepresentation is a
supporting culture. Initiatives such as the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter
demonstrate that there is organisational resolve to improve diversity and inclusion
across the sector, but the challenge remains to embed a positive culture at all levels.
Sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of bullying, harassment and
discrimination remain too common. The 2021 results of the UK’s Armed Forces
Continuous Attitude Survey11 showed that 11% of personnel reported that they have
been subject to bullying, discrimination or harassment in the last 12 months. Perhaps
more tellingly, this survey also highlighted that 11% of all female personnel report
being subjected to sexual harassment in a service environment in the last 12 months,
compared to less than 1% of male personnel.
2.2.3 There is also an increasing recognition that less overt or subconscious forms of
behaviour effect an organisation’s culture. These include micro-aggressions,
10
The Future for Women in Aviation and Aerospace.
11
UK Regular Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey Results 2021.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 5unconscious bias and unintentional or indirect discrimination. A greater focus on a
proactive approach to these issues, including a greater systematic understanding of
the needs of under-represented groups, is key to addressing more subtle discrimination
resulting from structural and systemic causes.
2.2.4 In July 2020, the Society held a webinar titled ‘BAME Perspectives on
Aerospace and Aviation: Shaping the Future’12. During this webinar, participants were
asked if they had ever experienced racism in the workplace or another professional
setting. The poll results showed 40% of the attendees responded that they had
experienced racism13.
2.2.5 Culture is not only critical in encouraging underrepresented groups to join the
sector, but also in encouraging them to stay if they do join it. Oliver Wyman and the
International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) undertook a survey14 of 450 women
and men in aviation leadership roles and interviewed successful female leaders. In
response to questions about top reasons for considering leaving the sector, female
respondents identified the following as the top 3 reasons:
• Implicit bias discrimination.
• Lack of career opportunities.
• Lack of flexibility (work/life balance).
2.2.6 Wider societal or organisational culture can also be a barrier. In particular, the
impression that a particular employer’s staff mostly come from particular schooling
background, location, ethnic background etc can result in those in under-represented
groups from not even putting themselves forward for opportunities as they fear they
will not “fit in”. Such individuals do not even make it to the starting gate for a career in
STEM. Financial background can also influence the risk appetite of under-represented
groups or those who influence them; lack of a financial safety net can lead to reduced
ambition to undertake more expensive educational paths (such as degrees) or pursue
potentially more lucrative employment opportunities due to a fear that they will not
work out.
12
BAME Perspectives on Aerospace and Aviation: Shaping the Future, RAeS YouTube Channel.
13
Broadening the Palette, RAeS Website.
14
Lift Off to Leadership: Advancing Women in Aviation.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 6Educational pathways
2.2.7 Pursuing careers in STEM careers will usually require an individual to have
pursued a particular educational pathway. In the context of aerospace and space, that
will likely need to feature mathematics and/or physics. Decisions taken by pupils, which
will be heavily influenced by “gatekeepers” such as parents, teachers and faith leaders,
can have a significant impact on the pathway that they can follow. Importantly such
influences can occur at a very young age (around seven years old) which then have long-
term impacts as to which subject and career choices individuals make.
2.2.8 Image of the profession can be an issue. As the Society’s 2009 Report stated,
“the image of an engineer continues to be that of a white man with overalls, a tool box
and an oily rag”. More recently, the Hamilton Commission has looked at the
opportunities for Black people in motorsport; this is an area of interest to the Royal
Aeronautical Society as it is accrediting body for a number of aeronautical and
aerodynamic courses pursued by those who enter F1 and indeed counts a number of
senior F1 aerodynamicists amongst its members. The Commission Report15 noted that
“The lack of knowledge of engineering does seem to be a significant barrier to young
people considering these careers. Where there is a lack of knowledge, assumptions
abound. Young people often responded that the subject was “too hard”, “too technical”
and “too narrow””. Such issues are compounded by teacher shortages in STEM subjects
and the availability of those to teach in their specialisms, particularly mathematics and
physics.
2.2.9 Such perceptions and assumptions can lead some groups to be turned off from
studying the subjects most likely to be necessary to pursue a career in a STEM-related
field. The Hamilton Commission observed that “Physics GCSE entry numbers for Black
Caribbean and Mixed White and Black Caribbean students are lowest among all ethnic
groups regardless of gender or free school meal status”. The All-Party Parliamentary
Group on Diversity in STEM Education16 found that approximately 8% of schools,
mostly situated in disadvantaged areas, do not enter any pupils for triple science, which
is often a pre-requisite to study sciences at A Level. The Hamilton Commission noted
15
The Hamilton Commission Report.
16
Inquiry on Equity in STEM education, APPG on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, 2020.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 7that in 2019 “34% of Black African students taking mathematics at A level and 11%
taking physics at A level. Black Caribbean students however have a low representation
of their cohort, with only 5% of the cohort taking mathematics and just 2% taking
physics at A level”. It went on to note that “Just 2% of the Black student cohort
achieved an A* in physics. This equates to 21 students who were Black African and just
2 students who were Black Caribbean”. This compares with 8% of White British
students who achieved an A* grade, suggesting that inequalities in attainment are just
as serious an issue as the numbers taking the subject. A-Level attainment is obviously a
crucial factor in being able to study aerospace subjects at degree level.
2.2.10 Within academia, there are wider issues concerning the priority that is
afforded to diversity and inclusion. Issues like league table positions often seem to be
given greater weight, suggesting a lack of understanding of the value that greater
diversity would in fact offer. Initiatives such as Advance HE’s Athena Swan Charter
Framework seek to address some of these issues by creating positive incentives for
improvement. However, Athena Swan is solely focused on gender and the Society
observes that whilst a number of its accredited institutions have Athena Swan
accreditation, it is often not in the engineering departments of such institutions. A more
broad-based focus on diversity and inclusion in higher education is likely required, with
perhaps the need for a greater role for diversity and inclusion as part of Engineering
Council accreditation of degree courses.
2.2.11 Higher education also has issues with diversity amongst its staff cohort.
Whilst academic professorial staff from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups had
increased by nearly a third (32.2%) since 2015−16, they only accounted for 10.0% of
professors in 2019−20. Conversely, 58% of professors were white males17.
Geographical spread of the aerospace sector
2.2.12 Another factor that influences the choices that individuals make is that
the aerospace industry is not evenly distributed across the UK. The industry is
generally focussed around a number sites of Aerospace Prime Contractors, whose
presence then draws in many Small to Medium Enterprises as well. The result is that
the largest concentrations of UK aerospace employment are in South West England
17
Higher Education in Facts and Figures 2021, Universities UK.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 8(18.5%), East Midlands (18.5%) and North West England (14.2%)18. Together these
three areas contain over 50% of all aerospace employment in the UK.
2.2.13 These employment distributions do not always align with the distribution
of underrepresented groups in the UK. For instance, the 2011 Census highlighted that
London was the most ethnically diverse area, with the highest proportion of minority
ethnic groups and the lowest proportion of the White ethnic group at 59.8 per cent. Yet
only 0.9% of aerospace jobs are in London. The Office for National Statistics (ONS)
notes that the estimated proportion of people who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual
(LGB) is 2.7% in the UK, but again the highest figure is in London at 3.8%19.
2.2.14 However, employment in the space sector (which is 2.5 times smaller
than the aerospace sector, with some 45,100 jobs) is somewhat differently dispersed
across the UK. The largest areas of space related employment are in London (27.2%),
the South East (23.3%) and Scotland (17.7%).
2.2.15 After Greater London, Birmingham has the second largest Pakistani
community in the United Kingdom; the 2011 census recorded that there were
144,627 Pakistanis living in Birmingham, making up 13.5% of the city's total
population. By comparison the West Midlands only accounts for 4.7% of UK aerospace
employment and 2.4% of UK space employment.
2.2.16 Engineering roles form the largest part of Formula 1 and many will have
come from aerospace and aerodynamics degree backgrounds. The Hamilton
Commission observed that “A key challenge for many young people interested in joining
the sector, particularly at younger apprentice ages, is the geographical location of
many of the businesses in rural parts of the country within the Motorsport ValleyTM.
With limited public transport infrastructure in the area, opportunities are often
restricted to local young people or those who are able to relocate, while the vast
majority of young Black people live in major cities across the UK such as London,
Birmingham and Manchester”.
18
ADS Facts and Figures 2021.
19
Office of National Statistics - Sexual orientation, UK: 2019.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 92.2.17 The Hamilton Commission also noted that “young Black people are less
likely to achieve 1st class honours degrees, are less likely to study engineering at the
highest ranking universities and are underrepresented in apprenticeships. All this leads
to a very small recruitment pool of young Black people unless Formula 1 teams and
other motorsport organisations broaden their recruitment practices and take positive
steps to promote careers in the sector to a wider and more diverse set of applicants”.
2.2.18 Regional variance is also a factor in higher education within aerospace,
with a comparatively smaller number of universities offering aerospace and
aerodynamics programmes. Cultural differences regarding the role of the extended
family and socio-economic conditions may mean that some groups are more reluctant
to study at a university in a different part of the UK, preferring to study near their
current hometown.
2.3 Question 3. The implications of these groups being underrepresented in
STEM roles in academia and industry.
2.3.1 There are several implications for aviation and aerospace that result from
groups being under-represented in STEM roles. These include:
• Loss of access to talent and inhibition of innovation.
• Failure to address existing and predicted skills gaps, accentuated by changing
demographics.
• Financial loss.
• Attitudes of “traditional” sources to working in sectors that lack diversity.
Talent and innovation
2.3.2 Aviation and aerospace are high technology industries and access to the best
talent is essential if they are to continue to innovate to meet the needs of wider society.
The challenges for the sector are acute and pressing, including addressing the impacts
of climate change, reducing noise nuisance to the general population and,
notwithstanding the short-to-medium term effects of Covid-19, a likely long-term
increased demand for air travel across the globe. Failing to embrace the widest range
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 10of individuals into the sector risks solutions to these challenging problems being
missed.
Tackling skills gaps
2.3.3 Talent is not just a matter of quality but also of quantity. Boeing’s latest
forecast20 is that, notwithstanding the pandemic, Europe alone will need 115,000 new
pilots, 112,000 new maintenance technicians and 178,000 new cabin crew members
to contribute to flying and maintaining the global commercial fleet over the next 20
years. Total worldwide demand for maintenance technicians will be 626,000 in the
same time period.
2.3.4 This has to be set against changes to the demographic from which this future
workforce will be drawn. The most recent Census (2011) shows that from 1991 to
2011 the percentage of the population of England and Wales that identified as White
British decreased from 93% to 80%. UK Department for Education statistics for
2019/2020 show that 32.3% of pupils in secondary schools are of minority ethnic
backgrounds21. This is an increase from the January 2014 figure of 25.3%22.
2.3.5 The UK generally and the aerospace and aviation sector in particular also has an
aging workforce. The CIPD noted in 2015 that “In 1992, one in five people in
employment was aged over 50; today it is more than one in four” 23. The UK is
increasingly faced with a need to either bring more young people into the aviation and
aerospace sector or keep older people working longer. Either scenario (and both may in
fact be necessary) require greater consideration of inclusion issues, such as attracting
and retaining women and ethnic minorities or considering the needs of people with
disabilities to allow older people to work longer.
2.3.6 The pandemic has also provided an example of the resilience risks inherent in an
ageing workforce, where older people may be more clinically vulnerable to Covid-19
20
Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook 2021–2040.
21
Academic Year 2019/20 - Schools, pupils and their characteristics, UK DFE.
22
National statistics - Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015.
23
CIPD Policy Report - Avoiding the demographic crunch: Labour supply and the ageing workforce.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 11and the potential loss of output in scenarios where mitigating measures such as social
distancing are less practical, such as in aircraft cockpits.
Financial loss
2.3.7 The UK aerospace sector is world-leading, with a £24.9bn turnover and
£24.3bn in exports24. The UK space sector has a £16.4bn turnover and accounts for
5.1% of the global space economy. A failure to tackle the talent and skills gaps
identified above puts the UK’s position in the aerospace and space sectors at risk.
2.3.8 Failing to address underrepresentation in STEM roles also impacts on the UK’s
GDP. McKinsey Global Institute estimated that tackling the UK gender gap in work has
the potential to add £150 billion to GDP forecasts by 202525.
Appealing to the next generation
2.3.9 Notwithstanding that the “traditional” recruiting cohort of straight white cis-
males are unlikely to make up the numbers the sector needs, as has been discussed
above, it is also necessary to consider what interests such individuals would
themselves have in joining a sector that lacked diversity. Generation Z expects to work
for organisations that promote diversity and are underpinned by a sound ethical basis.
The changing demographics of the UK mean that the workforce of tomorrow, even
those in the majority grouping, will have grown up in, and expect to work in, an
environment far more diverse than their predecessors.
24
ADS website.
25
McKinsey and Company. ‘The power of parity: advancing women’s equality in the United Kingdom’ September 2016.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 122.4 Question 4. What has been done to address underrepresentation of
particular groups in STEM roles.
2.4.1 The Royal Aeronautical Society is engaged in a number of initiatives that seek to
address underrepresentation. These include:
• The Alta Mentoring Scheme
• Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter
• A dedicated Aviation and aerospace careers service
• Outreach programmes
• Scholarships
• Discrimination reporting
• By-laws and regulations review
Alta Mentoring Scheme
2.4.2 Alta26 recognises that women are under-represented at the highest levels of the
aviation and aerospace industry. The scheme provides one-to-one mentoring from
successful women, and a network that is dedicated to ensuring that talented women
reach their full career potential, for the benefit not only of individuals but also our
industry as a whole.
2.4.3 Alta is an evolving and unique knowledge exchange network which draws upon
the knowledge and expertise of academics, professionals, senior managers and female
professionals and is underpinned by academic research to ascertain, review and
analyse what professional women are looking for from an industry-wide mentoring
scheme.
2.4.4 The academic part of the project involved the distribution of a survey and
interviews and focus groups with just over 250 female professionals and key
stakeholders within the industry. This enabled a University of West of England team to
26
Alta Mentoring Platform.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 13critically analyse current best practice, consider how the mentoring scheme could be
designed to meet the needs of female professionals, deliver training to mentors and
mentees and measure the impact of the mentoring scheme over a period of time.
2.4.5 The research revealed that there was a need for a woman-only mentoring
scheme, based upon systematic matching and supported by bespoke training. Through
focus groups, which were based upon ‘action research’, we worked with women to
design the scheme, based upon their expressed preferences. Interviews enabled us to
explore the key criteria for Alta, from the interviewee’s perspective, and to help us to
understand the amount and quality of mentoring received, to date, by these women. It
became clear that many women were not given the opportunity to be mentored and for
those who were, experiences of being mentored were mixed. The survey, distributed to
women throughout the industry, helped us to understand some key criteria around what
women specifically looked for from mentoring as well as their experience as mentors.
This research has enabled us to understand professional women’s past and current
mentoring experiences and how we can improve these experiences through Alta.
2.4.6 More recently the Society created a new, easy-to-use online system that went
live on International Women's Day in 2019. In addition to the platform, Alta networking
events and further research will continue to feature with the Alta programme. The
Society’s Alta mentoring platform for women has 374 members as at Dec 2021.
Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter
2.4.7 The Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter27 was launched at the
Farnborough Airshow in 2018. More than 200 signatories, from companies and
organisations within the UK’s aviation and aerospace sectors, made a commitment to
work together to build a more balanced and fair industry for women. The Society was a
founding supporting organisation of the Charter.
2.4.8 The aim of the Charter is to commit signatories to real and achievable actions
that encourage more women to enter the sector, ensuring that that it feels open and
accessible for women to work in aviation and aerospace. It looks to support
27
Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter Website.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 14progression of women to the highest levels of the industry, recognising that clear
business benefits for the sector in achieving gender balance at all levels.
2.4.9 The Charter website contains a Resource Hub28 that sets out advice and
mechanisms to help organisations work towards improving gender balance. This
includes topics such as fair recruitment, talent development or succession planning.
The Society provides a number of “how to” guides and other material for the Resource
Hub that provide practical guidance on issues like preparing for interview and
developing a CV.
2.4.10 The Society was also involved in contributing to efforts that led to a new
research report “Propelling a Gender Balanced Industry”29. This report represented the
first sector-wide report since the Society’s own report in 2009. The report found that
“in the aerospace and aviation sectors, despite much effort to date, there are still clear
disparities in people’s perceptions, lived experiences and opportunities to progress. In
many cases, these are gender-related but they also extend to other under-represented
groups”.
Aviation and aerospace careers service
2.4.11 The Careers and Education department at the Royal Aeronautical
Society was established in 1997 and works to support people seeking employment in
the aerospace and aviation community. The Society is the only organisation providing a
dedicated careers service for the sector against a backdrop of reduced capacity and
knowledge in schools to advise on such careers. The Careers and Education team
assist with one-to-one careers advice such as CV and covering letter writing, job
hunting advice, accessing bursaries and other funding sources. These services are
provided to members and non-members alike.
2.4.12 The Society also runs a dedicated careers website –
careersinaerospace.com – which is the only website dedicated to providing independent
and impartial information, advice and guidance on career pathways in the aerospace
28
Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter Resource Hub.
29
Women in Aviation & Aerospace Charter – Propelling a Gender Balanced Industry Report.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 15and aviation community. The Society is supported by the UK Department for Transport
and ADS Group to allow us to provide a non-commercial, free-to-use platform for users
of all ages.
2.4.13 Providing free-to-access advice is an important part of the Society’s
charitable purpose and its goal to increase diversity and inclusion. As noted earlier in
this submission, underrepresented groups may have less regional connection with the
aviation and aerospace sector so may lack awareness of the opportunities available.
They may also lack members of their own family or close network who are involved with
the sector and thus miss out on informal mentoring or advice that might encourage
them to enter the sector. Engineering UK has noted that “Worryingly, relatively few
young people know what steps they need to take to pursue an engineering career – just
42% of boys and 31% of girls aged 11 to 19 say they know what to do next to become
an engineer”30. The Society’s aim is therefore to help these groups understand the
exciting career pathways that might be open to them and, importantly, help them with
practical advice on how to pursue those options.
2.4.14 The Society also runs an annual recruitment fair – Careers in Aerospace
and Aviation LIVE – with the 2021 event being the 16th year this has been held. The
event promotes career opportunities in aerospace, space, aviation, MRO and air
transport operations including training and courses, apprenticeship routes, graduate
employment and direct entry/experienced roles. Following the impact of the Covid-19
pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 events were held virtually. For the 2021 event the
Society had 1,013 visitor registrations and the online platform used allowed the
Society to run a full programme of online careers insight talks covering space, defence,
urban air mobility and specific advice on CV writing and career transition for all ages.
2.4.15 Running a dedicated recruitment fair is another way that the Society
aims to reach underrepresented groups who might not routinely be targeted by
aerospace firms, especially if they did not study at a Russell Group university (an issue
highlighted in the Hamilton Commission Report).
30
Engineering UK 2020 - Educational pathways into engineering.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 16Outreach Programmes
2.4.16 The Society has for many years run a number of outreach programmes to
help ignite the spark in children and young people to consider a career in aerospace and
aviation. These include:
Cool Aeronautics. First launched in 2007, Cool Aeronautics is the Royal Aeronautical
Society’s primary school outreach programme that aims to introduce children to the
fascinating world and people of flying, aerospace engineering, and space31. Based
around a day of aerospace themed talks and interactive workshops with Key Stage 2
primary school pupils, Cool Aeronautics events are held at aviation places of interest.
For example, previous venues have included the Yorkshire Air Museum, Prestwick
Airport, RAF Museum Hendon and the British Airways Community Learning Centre,
Heathrow. The Society insists that all pupils in a class take part to avoid girls being
excluded from events. The Yeovil Cool Aeronautics events in 2019 and 2020 were on
line and broke new ground in two main areas: for the first time we were able to engage
with schools that could not afford to lose a member of staff for a day (removing the
poverty barrier) and we engaged with a class of special needs students (removing the
barrier for student with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)).
Schools Build-a-Plane. The Royal Aeronautical Society and its sponsors Boeing UK,
with the assistance of the Light Aircraft Association (LAA), launched an ambitious,
innovative and exciting project, the Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge (SBAPC) in
200832. The SBAPC engages school pupils by providing young people in secondary
schools the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of the aircraft build process and
wider STEM subjects to encourage them to pursue a career in the industry. Six schools
were involved in the project, each building their own plane. The programme completed
in 2021 with the sale of the last aircraft. A notable feature for the Society was the
impact the programme had on those in more deprived areas, where the young people
involved benefited from the structure of the programme and the role models that the
volunteers supporting the project provided to them. The evaluation report33 for the
project noted that “the volunteers were ‘often able to motivate the pupils when the
31
Cool Aeronautics, RAeS Website
32
Schools Build-A-Plan, RAeS Website
33
Raising Aspirations through Aviation – Evaluation of the Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 17teachers and parents could not and encourage them to broaden their horizons with the
experiences and skills they bought to the project’”.
The Falcon2 Programme. The Society’s successor programme to Schools Build a
Plane, we are partnering with Boeing, disabled flying charity Aerobility and Middlesex
University to invite young people aged 6-19 to contribute their design and engineering
skills to design, develop and build a real-life mobile flight simulator which will travel to
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) schools and public events around the
UK to introduce people from all backgrounds to the wonder of flight34. As well as
promoting STEM, the aim is to build in the importance of inclusive design, to ensure
engineering solutions benefit the whole of wider society.
Amy’s Aviation. The Society has collaborated with family digital radio station Fun Kids
Radio to create two children's animated series called 'Amy's Aviation' that charts the
adventures of Amy as she discovers the wonderful world of aerospace and aviation35.
Across the two series, Amy takes the audience on a fantastic journey through STEM
concepts used in aerospace, including aerospace engineering, future developments in
aircraft and space exploration, what it takes to become a pilot, tries out experiments.
The Society deliberately chose a female lead character to break down gender
stereotypes around careers in aerospace and aviation.
Scholarships
2.4.17 The Society launched the Centennial Scholarship Fund in 2003 in
celebration of one hundred years of flight and to look forward to the next generation of
aerospace pioneers and experts in the 21st century. In that time the Fund has
disbursed money to support tuition fees for final year MEng Aerospace or Aeronautical
Engineering students and postgraduate study in aerospace and aviation related
subjects as well as team awards, which have been given for programmes aimed at
STEM engagement and boosting young people's interest in aerospace and aviation as a
career choice.
2.4.18 The Society is currently revising the basis of award for the scholarship
fund. The aim will be to focus on work placement take-up and support to individual
34
Falcon2, RAeS Website
35
Amy’s Aviation, RAeS Website
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 18applicants and PhD study. The focus on work placements is seen as important in encouraging those into the sector who might not previously have considered it or were concerned they would not fit in. Team awards will focus on one major project annually, with a genuine impact on young people and underrepresented groups. Discrimination Reporting 2.4.19 The murder of George Floyd in 2020 caused the Society to reflect on its provisions for dealing with discrimination. We reviewed whether our complaints processes were fit for purpose for discrimination issues. As well as making changes to the formal processes (in particular concerning diversity of the panels involved) we recognised that there was also scope for a less formal feedback process, that would include the ability to provide feedback anonymously which can be used to educate Society members. This concept has been approved by the Trustees and we are currently working on technical implementation. While the system will be open to all, we expect it may be of particular benefit for those who want to offer feedback without publicly disclosing matters such as mental health or gender identity; we hope that this will allow us to be more responsive to their needs. By-laws and regulations review 2.4.20 As part of our response to Black Lives Matter, we also undertook to conduct a review of our by-laws and regulations. Casting a critical eye over them we are seeking to identify and remove barriers to greater inclusion in our activities. This has included the need to widen the eligibility for voting in Society governance elections and considering how we more widely and effectively advertise opportunities to serve in official positions in the Society. In 2021 we also made changes to our membership criteria in order to base membership grades around competence rather than time served. Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 19
2.5 Question 5. What could and should be done by the UK Government, UK
Research and Innovation, other funding bodies, industry and academia to address
the issues identified.
Data
2.5.1 There is a general need for more complete and up-to-date collection of data about
the characteristics of under-represented minorities in STEM. Such data also needs to be
granular enough to identify and tackle niche barriers – data solely at the level of all in the
STEM workforce is likely to mask these issues. For instance, only 14.5% of engineers
are women (Engineering UK, 2021) but amongst NHS doctors there is almost gender
parity with 48% of doctors being women (British Medical Association, 2021). The
aerospace sector would benefit from a census type approach like that pioneered by the
space sector.
Supporting Small-to-Medium Enterprises
2.5.2 There is a need to focus on assisting Small-to-Medium Enterprise (SME)
businesses in aerospace with supporting underrepresented groups, particularly in
providing apprenticeship opportunities. Aerospace, defence security trade body ADS
highlights that of its 1,100+ members, more than a 1,000 are SMEs36.
Supporting volunteers and widening inclusivity
2.5.3 Whilst many organisations are keen to espouse their values on diversity and
inclusion, much of the progress being achieved in the sector is being driven by the work
of volunteers, often doing so in their own free time. In many cases these endeavours fall
disproportionally on under-represented groups themselves, with a seeming expectation
that they should be responsible for resolving these issues rather than it being seen as a
36
ADS Facts and Figures 2020.
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 20wider pan-organisation effort. The sector needs to consider how it rewards those who are driving change, more accurately reflecting it as a core part of sector business rather than a perception of it as a hobby or discretionary activity and ensures that it is creating opportunities for those from underrepresented groups who might be less able to contribute to current discussion (e.g. shift workers or those in shop-floor roles). Broadening pathways into STEM 2.5.4 Broadening the pathways into STEM is important to reaching some underrepresented groups. Apprenticeships can be a game changer in social mobility, allowing those who might not be able to afford the costs of full-time study to “earn while they learn”. Looking at making it easier for people to transition into STEM careers later in life is another way to increase the numbers and diversity of people in the sector. This includes thinking about conversion courses (not dissimilar to the approach taken in law for instance), the need to compress courses to minimise time out of career and to review the funding models available to support undertaking such courses. Supporting those with families 2.5.5 People taking time out to have families is a source of people leaving the sector if they are not properly supported. There is a need to look at the comparative provisions for paternity and maternity leave provisions; the lack of equity in the current provisions is driving the responsibility for taking time out disproportionately on women. There is also a need to consider whether current provisions are sufficient; that is both a mixture of statutory provisions and the culture of companies in the sector. STEM is a potentially higher paying career but statutory provisions do not reflect this differential and that is a disincentive for women in particular to consider STEM careers if they want to have families. Application and recruitment processes 2.5.6 The increasing use of technology is proving popular to streamline application and recruitment processes, but this is not without risks. There is a need to recognise the Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 21
latest achievements of underrepresented groups, such as focusing on their degree results rather than filtering them out due to A-level results from three or four years previous. This fails to recognise the value add of courses, especially from those studying at post-1992 institutions. There is also a need to consider the potential effects of bias in algorithms used in recruitment and application processes. There are also issues with those with lower class degree results struggling to gain places on PhD courses or in employment, where some employers seem to have restricted views on the degree classes and institutions they will accept employees from, potentially based on an unwillingness to invest in training and professional development. Flexible working 2.5.7 The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a focus on working from home and the potential benefits for underrepresented groups. For instance, it can be an answer to some of the geographical challenges mentioned earlier. But these benefits are not always experienced equally. Those from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to work in areas where they can work from home or, where they can, they may not have the facilities at home (workspace, broadband) or freedom from distraction (e.g. access to childcare) that allow them to succeed. Flexible working is likely key to diversifying the workforce but it must be well managed and the workforce properly supported. Infrastructure investment 2.5.8 Whilst the private sector may be in a position to launch and implement diversity and inclusion initiatives within their own firms, the UK government is the only body that can bring about the systemic changes needed to advance the issues identified. For example, public safety is a deterrent for most minorities (gender or ethnic) and prevents qualified individuals from being able to access after-hours events or social opportunities. A safer society with low levels of crime against minorities will allow equal participation of people from all walks of life. Another example may be introducing zoning regulations that require childcare facilities to be made available in every office district, similar to public toilets or even commercial establishments such as cafes or other retail stores. Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 22
Driving diversity and inclusion from government expenditure
2.5.9 Government engages in significant procurement of assets and services across
the full spectrum of its business. Likewise, it is a major awarding body for grant money.
Whenever taxpayer money is spent in this way, there is an opportunity to require
diversity and inclusion to be taken into account in a tangible and concrete way, ensuring
that there are real consequences for not addressing the issue in a genuine fashion and
designing it such that it drives the desired behaviours. This should be considered from
the outset with monitoring and measurement undertaken to ensure positive progress
and with clear transparency about how diversity data is used to drive decision-making.
Learn from good practice in other cultures
2.5.10 A key aspect related to ethnic minorities is one of their historical
background or cultural traditions. Cultural or religious traditions are also often a reason
why certain professions or industries may not be taken up by minorities; this is another
area where large scale government-led efforts can help more than a company-based
effort as further discussion and encouragement may be needed in the areas of cultural
assimilation and what it means to be a British citizen. Asian cultures have had progress
in STEM uptake both at school and employment levels37; this has been brought about by
investment in public messaging by the government, provision of safe transport,
upgrades in public schools and street lighting and allocation of funding for under-
represented groups to enable scholarships for talented individuals.
2.5.11 In Middle Eastern cultures, some of the progress seen in recent years has
been attributed to government-funded scholarship and training programmes built not
only around technical aspects, but also related to tackling cultural taboos against
interacting with persons of the opposite gender.
2.5.12 Air New Zealand has highlighted the development of employee networks,
so that a minority employee may find others like themselves and have a support structure
37
Indian IT industry attracts more women, but many exit within first 5 years in the job (theprint.in)
Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 23available to them, they have initiated networks related to Pride, Women’s Advancement, Maori, Pacific Islander and Kiwi Asian Groups. The role of networking and mentoring groups has also been recognised by the Indian Institutes of Technology at the University level as well as GE. Mubadala Aerospace Group is working with many of its female employees to establish a mentoring program to get more women into the boardroom, and offering daycare and breastfeeding facilities on-site to all female employees. 2.5.13 Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Services is offering dedicated rooms for childcare or breastfeeding facilities available to all female employees. All firms in the Middle East are also mandated to have a facility for prayer/ faith, which allows for minority groups to practice their religious beliefs in a private manner. Air New Zealand has made changes to their recruitment process to not ask for current salaries in order to minimise the risk of inheriting a gender pay gap. A dedicated Cultural Development Team has been in place to develop Corporate Pathways for underrepresented groups. All Nippon Airways (ANA) has also developed a comprehensive program to support nursing and returning mothers in order to assist their transition into full-time work. Contact Richard Toomer, Head of External Affairs, Richard.Toomer@aerosociety.com -END- Royal Aeronautical Society www.aerosociety.com 24
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