You can’t be what you can’t see: why representation matters in civil engineering

Human-centred design is key to success in civil engineering, with civil engineers tasked with tackling massive social issues like water scarcity, food shortages, population growth, transport accessibility and climate change.

Whether it’s developing efficient plumbing systems that reduce our water consumption or designing vertical farms that help meet the demands of a growing population, civil engineers solve problems that affect all aspects of our lives. It’s essential, therefore, that civil engineers reflect the diverse people they represent, in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and socioeconomic background.

Anusha Shah, the incoming president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), speaks about the importance of diversity in civil engineering in our Building Futures: Career Conversations series.
 

Skills shortages are rife in civil engineering

Our latest Salary & Recruiting Trends guide shows that 95% of employers in the built environment have experienced a shortage of key skills in the last year. Skills gaps can have a profound impact on civil engineering organisations, affecting productivity, employee morale and the ability to deliver projects effectively.

Innovation stems from diversity. Hiring civil engineers from diverse backgrounds can help to tackle skills shortages, as they bring new skills and expertise to teams. In the Career Conversations series, Shah points out that society needs “all hands on deck when it comes to dealing with the climate emergency” and this makes it even more critical for the civil engineering sector to attract a diverse range of talent to tackle current skills shortages.
 

Effective problem-solving needs diversity of thought

It’s impossible for civil engineers to solve complex problems like climate change working on their own – teamwork is essential. In her role as the UK climate adaptation lead at Arcadis, Shah is currently looking at how to make cities more resilient to climate change and inclusive of different types of people. To tackle such multifaceted challenges, individual civil engineers won’t always have the answers themselves, but solutions can be found when diverse groups of civil engineers with a wide range of perspectives work together. “Ultimately, civil engineering is about designing for people,” Shah states, “so I feel, the more you get to know different people, the better you’ll be as a civil engineer”.  
 

The importance of representation at all levels

You can’t be what you can’t see. As the youngest and first female to become chair of the ICE London Region in 2010, Shah is passionate about the representation of diverse talent at all levels in civil engineering. “We need to get younger people in positions where they can share their voice at a board level,” Shah explains, “especially since they act as a conscience and are the biggest stakeholders in our future”. Shah also recognises that her ICE presidency will open doors for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to represent civil engineering at a senior level and she hopes that she can act as a role model for others to follow in her footsteps.

In order to achieve true representation in civil engineering, organisations need to look at everything through an inclusivity lens, from hiring and onboarding processes to employee engagement strategies and career progression frameworks. It’s clear that there’s an intent from civil engineering employers to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in their organisations, but this needs to be backed up by action.

Check out the other episodes in the Building Futures: Career Conversations series for more expert insights from leaders in the built environment. If you want to find out more about how to attract and retain diverse talent in your organisation, get in contact with one of our expert consultants today.