By Caledonia Bhatia, Group Chair of Emerging Talents Group.
In November 2024, the Future Water Emerging Talent Group hosted an EDI Conference, as part of Networks November. There was fantastic engagement from all attendees and great discussion a wide range of topics. Below is a summary of the key points from each topic:
- Industry image:
- Improvements have been made but there is a lot more to do.
- Water is not valued as much as it could be – we need action to promote and market the good work the sector is doing – both environmentally and in the EDI space.
- Need to raise awareness of the breadth of opportunities in the industry and how unique skillsets can contribute. Partnerships with industry bodies could support this.
- Accessible and diverse pathways into the industry:
- There is a diverse range of entry points – career returners, early talent and transferrable skills. However, these are not always known to people outside of the water sector – more awareness and marketing is required.
- Apprenticeships need to be done right and use insights from best practice.
- The water industry needs to make itself more visible to university graduates,
- Company training schemes need to be fit for purpose.
- Debate over whether building awareness and partnerships should be a company or industry wide approach.
- Retention and engagement of the existing workforce:
- Mentoring, leadership and allyship within EDI is hugely important, along with executive sponsorship of EDI initiatives.
- Flexible and inclusive benefits including maternity, paternity, flexible working, working adjustments, volunteering days and compassionate leave are key to retention.
- Collaboration and open dialogue needed to support more difficult conversations.
- Building a continuous learning environment:
- Reverse mentoring and developing methods for transferring knowledge between generations is important.
- Continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities and professional body membership can support this.
- Development schemes focusing on specific skills or leader accelerate courses could also help.
To conclude the day, the group considered potential actions based on the discussions, these included:
- Exploring the idea of a podcast supported by Future Water to discuss some of the key topics including improving industry image, discussing EDI experiences and interviewing a wide range of guests.
- Identifying and understanding best practice for apprenticeships and retention, particularly best practice in EDI initiatives.
- Look into organising a reverse mentoring event and develop measures to monitor progress going forward.
Overall, the conference continued to highlight the fact that EDI is vital through all these important themes and that there is a need to continue to increase diversity and inclusion within the water industry. The Emerging Talent Group looks forward to continuing to support with moving forward these initiatives.