Ramboll partners with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers UK (AFBE-UK) to improve opportunities for underrepresented groups

Data from Engineering UK shows that only 11.4% of UK engineers come from minority ethnic backgrounds and that six months after graduation, Black and Asian engineering students were more than twice as likely to be unemployed as their White counterparts.

The partnership will see AFBE-UK act as a strategic advisor to Ramboll, supporting their continuing pursuit of greater diversity and inclusion. In addition, Ramboll and AFBE-UK will work together to provide STEM outreach and work placement opportunities at Ramboll for underrepresented groups.

Alex Lawrence, Ramboll’s Talent Inclusion Director said of the partnership: 

“In AFBE-UK, we have found an open, friendly and experienced partner that will help us deliver our EDI strategy. We look forward to joining forces to improve opportunities for underrepresented groups and lead meaningful change for the engineering sector.”

Nike Folayan, AFBE-UK Cofounder said: 

“We are extremely excited about this new partnership with Ramboll. Ramboll has a clear strategy and so we are excited to be able to support it. We have already identified opportunities to support their attraction, recruitment and retention efforts through our various programmes. We look forward to working closely and highlighting some of the inspirational careers and world leading projects at Ramboll.”

Black History Month: Action, not words

Black History Month is a celebration of the achievements and contributions made to society by people of Black heritage and their communities, but also a time to take action to tackle racism and ensure Black history is represented and recognised. 

The theme for this year’s Black History Month is ‘action not words’. Ramboll’s Racial Equality Network has created a list of Allyship Actions for employees and others to take this month to help address racism and improve representation. Will you pledge to take one step?

1. Take time to reflect on your privilege and engage in courageous conversations with others in your community
2. Call out racist comments or poor behaviour at home or in the workplace
3. Talk to your family and friends about racial stereotypes and prejudice
4. Attend training courses or workshops on diversity, inclusion or anti-racism
5. Declare your diversity data to your organisation
6. Contact the Secretary of State for Education and your local MP to request the diversification of the UK curriculum to include more about Black history
7. Share the actions you have taken, or your thoughts on LinkedIn with the hashtag #actionnotwords
8. Check in with your colleagues and ask what you can do to support them
9. Join your organisation’s Racial Equality Network (or start one!)
10. Volunteer for a STEM event that supports disadvantaged students
11. Educate yourself about Black history and racism 
    (read books or articles, listen to podcasts, watch documentaries)
12. Share resources with others around you, or even posts on social media
13. Celebrate the cultural and ethnic diversity of your team
14. Advocate for racial diversity with a client or stakeholder
15. Check how to pronounce or spell someone's name correctly and encourage your team to add phonetic pronunciation to their signatures
16. Support a local BME-owned business or donate time or money to an anti-racism organisation