Amey is among the first companies to sign up to the rail industry’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Charter.
Launched by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and Women in Rail (WR), the Charter pledges to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK railway industry. It is a commitment by signatories to work together to build a more balanced, higher performing sector and has been backed by over 100 organisations, including Amey.
The Charter contains several key commitments, including to:
- Appoint a member of the senior leadership team as an ‘EDI Champion’;
- Agree an action plan, monitor and report on progress made;
- Provide opportunities for training and education of employees, support the progression of diverse individuals into senior roles to improve diverse representation at senior and executive level of the UK railway industry;
- Create a culture that fosters inclusion and provides a safe space for all employees to talk openly, including at industry events and in meetings; and
- Make recruitment and progression processes accessible and attractive to all to attract, retain and develop people of all backgrounds, ages, genders and identities.
Signing the charter builds on Amey’s strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Amey set the industry benchmark in 2017, becoming the first company in its sector to receive ‘Leaders in Diversity’ status for its ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. This dedication to diversity has been nurtured through Amey’s strong internal action groups such as Women at Amey, LGBTA, Amey Disability Group and its Mental Health Ambassadors, all of whom work hard towards gender parity. Among their achievements to date, include developing a flexible working policy at Amey and establishing a returner programme to support engineers returning from career breaks
In 2018, Amey made headlines when it successfully partnered with Girlguiding UK to develop a unique engineering badge, to change perceptions and inspire the next generation of female engineers. The badge, specifically linked to the Rail and Highways sectors, has been earned by 175,000 Girl Guides, Brownies and Rainbows (5-14 years old) all over the UK.
Most recently, Amey Consulting were recipients of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Rail Industry Supplier Excellence (RISE) Awards. The award honoured Amey Consulting’s rail degree apprenticeship programme, a UK first that was developed in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University. The fully funded five-year Railway Engineering B.Eng apprenticeship provides an opportunity for people outside the traditional degree route to enter the profession, resulting in a more diverse workforce.
On signing the charter, Andy Joy, Sector Director Rail, at Amey said:
“Amey is delighted to be a founding signatory of the EDI Charter. It is our promise to all rail professionals, present and future, that we will work together to create a more equal, diverse and inclusive rail sector.
“We know the benefits of diversity are not just limited to everyone having equal opportunities. An industry that is truly diverse also increases productivity, enables innovation to flourish and most importantly is a happier and healthier place to work in.
“We look forward to joining our peers in putting the commitments within this charter into action.”
Women in Rail Founder and Director Adeline Ginn MBE, said:
“The rail industry has worked hard in the last few years to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within its workforce. In these challenging times, it is important we strengthen these EDI efforts to ensure we attract and harness the skills, knowledge and insight from everyone representing all parts of our society and our customers.
“This Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Charter represents our industry’s commitment to openly support this agenda and we are delighted to be partnering with the Railway Industry Association, and all the signatories, on this exciting initiative.”
The charter was launched last week at RIA’s Annual Conference during the ‘Skills, opportunity and inclusion’ panel.