Civil Engineering March 2022 | Vol 30 No 2

Civil Engineering March 2022 55 Q Q Employment conditions that do not cater for the diverse needs of women Q Q Pay inequities Q Q Lack of access to equitable mentorship and sponsorship opportunities Q Q Workplace harassment e.g. on con- struction sites. “All of these add up and become ex- hausting, ultimately resulting in women leaving the profession. Unfortunately, the concept of inclusion is still a mystery to many. Diversity is easy to measure, but inclusion is not. It is about making women feel valued and heard. True inclusion requires complete rewiring at the opera- tional level,” Innocentia explains. A 2021 research project on the state of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in the UK Built Environment, carried out by Knowledge Mentoring (Global) Limited in collaboration with MBA students from Surrey University, echoes some of these sentiments. The research found that built environ- ment employers find it difficult to track the effectiveness of EDI programmes, that many organisations are looking for fresh and effective EDI solutions, that there is a shortage of skilled and experienced women applicants, and that the shortage of skills in the engineering and construc- tion sector is due to low awareness and interest in starting a career in the built environment. Built environment employees reported that EDI programmes often follow a tick box approach that does not produce meaningful change, and female employees experience a distinct lack of a sense of belonging. Furthermore, there is a general lack of good career guidance or com- mitted mentors for women, and young female graduates are often unaware of career opportunities in the sector. Women also reported harassment or blockage on their upward journeys to more senior positions and indicated that training programmes are often assigned to women employees simply for the sake of regulations and compliance with no employee satisfaction check and without any real understanding of context. REPAIRING THE LEAKY PIPELINE “Notwithstanding the structural, be- havioural and policy solutions that need to be implemented, one of the ways to improve the representation of women in the engineering industry is to deliberately introduce diverse role models and mentors, particularly role models and mentors with whom women are able to relate and those that challenge the stereotypes around a career in engineering. This needs to happen at various levels of development including basic education, tertiary education and in the industry. This can be facilitated through a variety of deliberate and intentional pro- grammes and platforms,” says Innocentia. Philip Marsh and Shelley Coleman- Marsh, founders of Mentoring 4 Success (SA) and Knowledge Mentoring Global (UK), identified this very need and have developed an initiative called Women in the Built Environment (WITBE). WITBE is a structured social learning and personal career optimisation initia- tive focused on achieving global gender equality in the built environment. The pair, who are civil engineers, have been running candidacy training programmes in South Africa for 15 years and have experienced first-hand how male dominated the industry is and the chal- lenges faced by women. Shelley has spent the last eight years working with Business Engage, judging the Gender Mainstreaming Awards for the 30% Club, where many entries come from companies operating within the built environment. “Many women I have interviewed across the E&C and other sec- tors, who have been part of an in-company mentoring programme, felt it was more about compliance and a tick box process. Very few of these women reported experi- encing an improved chance of promotion, or further opportunity for growth and development to more senior positions as a result these programmes,” she says. “The workplace is set up to support the lives of men, but the needs of women are often very different from those of men. The workplace needs to be set up to enable women to achieve the balance that they desire, otherwise they leave the workforce.” To help empower women and create a network of support, Philip and Shelley developed WITBE as a purpose-driven 12‑month programme for women engineering graduates to seasoned professionals as well as women in cross- functional support roles. Unlike many other women-focused programmes which offer one-on-one engagement, WITBE offers collective mentoring and helps build global relationships and learning networks. “Because it is bonded by common pur- pose and shared common values, WITBE has the potential to become a powerful women empowerment group for the built environment, especially in developing societies with male dominant traditions,” says Philip. The app-enabled programme uses mo- bile technology that allows for structured social learning that will focus on both hard aspects of engineering as well as soft skills such as psychological safety, personal branding and future-fit leadership skills. Another focus area is the business aspect of engineering. This is based on “We need to encourage more women to share their success stories, encourage engagement and do as much as possible to improve the chances of success for females in the profession.” – Innocentia Mahlangu “Many women I have interviewed across the E&C and other sectors, who have been part of an in-company mentoring programme, felt it was more about compliance and a tick box process.” – Shelley Coleman-Marsh