The numbers continue to tell a stubborn story that more must be done to attract underrepresented groups into the built environment.
For example, EngineeringUK's May 2025 workforce update found that women make up around 17 per cent of the engineering and technology workforce, against 56 per cent across other occupations. Minority ethnic groups sit at 15 per cent and disabled people at 14 per cent, both below the wider labour market. For a sector crying out for talent, that is a problem worth fixing at the point where careers begin: the hiring process.
At Carrington West, we sit right in the middle of that process. It would be easy to hand the whole question of equity, diversity and inclusion to the employer and step back. We do not see it that way. The way we write an advert, screen a shortlist and brief a client shapes who gets seen and who gets overlooked. So here is how we approach it, and how you can too.
Start with the role, not the "culture fit"
Bias creeps in early. The CIPD is clear that none of us is immune to it, and that awareness alone does not remove it. The fix is to redesign the process rather than rely on good intentions. That starts with a precise brief. Define what the job actually requires, then challenge the "nice to haves" that quietly narrow the field. A demand for a specific degree, an unbroken career history or a named former employer can screen out capable people for no good reason. Phrases like "culture fit" can mean "people like us", so we press instead for the skills and behaviours that genuinely predict success.
Write adverts that widen the pool
Job adverts do a lot of hidden work. Gendered or heavily jargoned language puts strong candidates off before they apply. We favour plain, specific wording, a clear salary and honest detail about flexibility. The CIPD's inclusive recruitment guidance recommends debiasing adverts and being upfront about flexible working, both of which draw a broader range of applicants, including older workers and returners. Small edits move the needle.
Structure the shortlist and the interview
Consistency breeds fairness. You can anonymise applications, stripping out names, contact details and university "cues" before a hiring manager reviews them, as a practical way to cut bias at the sift stage. But more the most part, structured interviews with set questions and a scoring guide keep the focus on evidence rather than gut feel, and a panel drawn from a mix of backgrounds helps as well.
"Consistency is what keeps it fair," says Ben Hitchman, Principal Team Leader of our town planning recruitment team at Carrington West. "Applicants should be scored against the same criteria in the same order, even for contract or interim roles. That way the decision rests on evidence, not on a gut feeling or unchecked bias."
Make access part of the plan
Reasonable adjustments are too often treated as an afterthought once someone already has the job. The CIPD encourages offering them during recruitment, not after.. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must not discriminate on any of the nine protected characteristics, and a failure to make reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates is itself unlawful. Getting this right early tells people the door is genuinely open.
Hold ourselves accountable
This is the part everyone in the recruitment process skip too often. Employers should share their diversity targets and goals, and agencies can share how they are engaging diverse talent pipelines. Accountability runs both ways.
"It has to," says Kent Street, Department Manager for water, power and buildings at Carrington West. "Across my desks we track who we approach, who we put forward and where strong candidates drop out. When a brief or a process is quietly filtering people out, we tell the client. We will not hand over a uniform shortlist and call it the market."
The bottom line
Equity, diversity and inclusion in hiring is not a poster on the wall. It is a set of deliberate choices, made at every stage, by employers and by the technical recruiters who serve them. Fair processes reach further, and a wider net lands better people. That is good practice, and it is good business.
For engineering recruitment services that take this seriously, from the first brief to the final offer, our team would be glad to talk.
Sources:
• EngineeringUK, Engineering and technology workforce: May 2025 update. engineeringuk.com
• CIPD, Inclusive recruitment: Guide for employers. cipd.org
• CIPD, Inclusive recruitment: People manager guide. cipd.org
• Acas, Discrimination and the Equality Act 2010. acas.org.uk