Engineering is an exciting discipline full of opportunities. We're determined that no one should be disadvantaged or marginalised due to race, gender, sexuality, disability, age, belief or because of partner and parenting choices. We're proud of a teaching and workplace culture that helps us recruit and retain the best staff. These are just a few of the practical steps we have taken:

• Mentoring, buddying and shadowing schemes  -  New academic staff have buddies and mentors to help them settle in. Professional and technical staff can shadow other roles, a valuable insight into potential career progression.
• Faculty staff networks and action groups  -  The Women and Non-binary Staff Network, the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network and the Research Associates Network provide a conduit for focused feedback. They work with the EDI committee and its five action groups to embed equity, diversity and inclusion in all our processes. 
• A culture of flexible working  -  All staff with caring responsibilities can request flexible working. For academics, this means a timetable scheduled around home commitments. The University's blended working trial seeks to ensure that home working does not have a disproportionate effect on the career prospects of those juggling the demands of work and family.
• Recruitment  -  All our interview panels are gender-diverse. We're including more junior staff on interview panels which offers them valuable experience and reduces the risk of over-burdening senior female academics.
• Training  -  An ongoing programme of training covers unconscious bias awareness and microagressions. This complements our anti-racist stance and improvements in reporting mechanisms to combat discrimination. We ensure staff can benefit from University-wide staff development programmes such as those on personal wellbeing and remote working.
• Maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave champions  -  Faculty staff share their own experiences and offer a friendly face and practical advice to those taking time away from work.
• Female representation  -  The Faculty has committed to at least 30 per cent female staff in academic and research roles by 2030. All our school staff committees have already reached or exceeded this target. Initiatives such as the Women in Engineering talks series actively encourage gender balance.
• Inclusive facilities  -  Having made a significant investment in our spaces, we now have all-gender toilets and improved access for those with disabilities (eg hearing loops, automatic doors and desk/lecturn risers).