It is UK Law that employers cannot discriminate against someone due to disability, gender or race as per the Equality Act 2010; and although employers are doing more than ever before to accommodate this and diversify their workforce, there is still a long way to go. This section aims to provide a selection of freely available resources in order to really make your CV stand out and thus increase your employability no matter your differences. You will also find some recent Government and Industry reports and articles relating to diversity and inclusion, current statistics and future plans. The following articles, blogs and papers discuss careers in geosciences and allied disciplines, and opportunities to enhance employability.
Careers and Employability Resources
Adopt an Intern – https://www.aai-employability.org.uk/recruitment_blog
Adopt an Intern (AAI) are ‘inclusive employment specialists’ who primarily focus on graduate positions. This website not only posts available vacancies for a wide range of industries, but also includes a host of resources including workshops, tips for jobseekers and mentoring.
Atkins Connectr – https://atkins.connectr.co.uk/early-careers/
Whether you’re looking to apply for a position at Atkins or not, the brand new Atkins Connectr website provides freely available training modules for graduates and interns in a variety of employability ‘soft’ skills. Mentoring is also a highlight of this website, where you can ask an existing Atkins Graduate or Intern any question about their job role and how they got in to it.
Black Geographers – Black Geographers
Black Geographers will pair you with a geography graduate working within a geographical or geoscience career to guide those studying geography at GCSE, A Level or undergraduate to build their CV through applying for summer internships, getting involved in local projects and opportunities within their school or university.
Black Heart Foundation – Black Heart Foundation
To support students of colour with mentoring and scholarships.
EmployAbility – https://www.employ-ability.org.uk/
EmployAbility is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to assisting students and graduates with all disabilities, including dyslexia or long term health conditions, into employment. The team can offer you free support, advice and guidance throughout the entire recruitment process and beyond, including guidance on preparing CVs and completing application forms, mock interviews, information and advice regarding reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process and/or in the workplace, specialist recruitment events and internships and graduate recruitment programmes.
The Geospatial Scholarship Fund – The Geospatial Scholarship Fund
Esri UK is establishing a new scholarship programme to encourage and support Black African, Caribbean, Black or mixed Black heritage students in the study of geography and geoscience. Apply now! Scholarships and work experience are great ways to improve your CV and gain valuable experience in the world of work.
Lean In Energy – Lean In Energy
Empower women in energy and those interested in energy to achieve their ambitions through mentoring, community, public awareness, and education.
Mental Health at Work – https://www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/
A selection of free resources and toolkits relating to mental health and the work place. Mental Health at Work is curated by Mind, the mental health charity, and funded by The Royal Foundation as part of their Heads Together campaign.
POWERful Women – https://powerfulwomen.org.uk/
A professional initiative that seeks to promote the growth and leadership development of women across the energy sector. They provide mentoring and coaching schemes for women wanting to advance within the energy sector.
Remploy – https://www.remploy.co.uk/
Remploy provides specialist employment and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions. The guidance and support starts at employability skills and finding work, to helping you once you are in employment; this is done through resources on the website, online advisors who are available seven days a week to give you advice and guidance on finding and staying in work but also face to face in one of their branches.
Royal Academy of Engineering, Diversity Leadership Group (2015). Increasing diversity and inclusion in engineering – a case study toolkit. – https://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/increasing-diversity-and-inclusion-in-engineering
A selection of case studies show casing some of the active diversity and inclusion initiatives from companies that although are engineering focused, employ a number of geoscience professionals, including engineering geologists and geomorphologists, hydrogeological specialists, geo-environmental engineers, to name a few. This is useful to you as a potential employee, as it can be used as a talking point during interviews.
The Links Incorporated – London (UK) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (londonlinksinc.org.uk)
The London (UK) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated supports women and youth from disadvantaged communities via mentoring, career and life skills development.
The Miranda Brown Diversity Leadership Foundation – Home | TMBDLF
A charity focused on education, building self-confidence, career development and networking opportunities, to uncover diverse talent with the potential for leadership success in the workplace. They design and deliver educational diversity leadership programmes and skills-building workshops, catering for young people from all ethnicities and diverse backgrounds.
Transition Events from the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers – https://afbe.org.uk/programmes/transition
The Transition programme was initiated by AFBE-UK Scotland in 2012 and has since been very effective in equipping over 3000 mentees with the tools they need not just to get into the workplace but to thrive. According to a survey carried out in 2016, 70% of people who have attended the Transition programme secured a job in a relevant role within 12 months for reasons directly attributable to the Transition programme. Over 90% said it made them more confident in interviews.
Youth Employment UK – https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/
Youth Employment Uk’s Skills and Careers Hub provides 14-24 year olds with free resources, advice and guidance to support young people through education, transition into employment and beyond. They provide a free Young Professional Training course which looks great on your CV but also have a whole section dedicated to mental health guidance and tips.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Articles – Blogs – Videos – Peer-reviewed papers