Diversity and Inclusion

Committed to Building Diverse & Inclusive Teams

The recruitment process is an integral part of the ongoing drive for diversity in the UK's built environment industries. Carrington West takes ED&I into account at every step of the process, from training all of our consultants and staff, advising hiring managers on best practices, and ensuring our supply chain complies with our ED&I policy. Carrington West is unique in the way that ED&I plays a massive part in our own culture and features highly in our people management best practice. Our "people first" approach is part of our culture. Our mission is to provide the best possible workplace for everyone, and to help us all be the best possible versions of ourselves both professionally and personally. Alongside this, all Carrington West employees have extensive diversity training to ensure they are best placed to themselves understand and recruit with equity, diversity and inclusion in mind.

Investors in Diversity Award

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved the Investors in Diversity Silver award! Our commitment to supporting our clients' ED&I strategies as well as our own has been a focus for us over recent months, and whilst we recognise there is no endgame with our ED&I journey, it is great to know we are on the right track.

Diversifying Agencies

We are partnered with Diversifying Agencies, a purpose-led careers platform for people to find jobs through inclusive recruitment agencies, and for agencies to connect with diverse communities. See our employer profile here.

Diversifying Group say, "Diverse recruitment is about widening the talent pool from which candidates are sourced so that you can find the best person for the job, regardless of their background. We host vacancies across an extensive range of functions and sectors, allowing job seekers from any background or industry to find the right role and to connect with inclusive recruiters and agencies."

Advocating Change

A clear ED&I strategy throughout the talent supply chain will enable ED&I objectives to be met and help teams meet their full potential.

In the majority of our sectors, especially engineering roles, women are underrepresented. A 2020 report by Engineering UK revealed that women make up only 14.5% of all engineers. This statistic increased from 4.6% since 2016, showing the steady improvement being made, but will only continue with efforts from everyone in the industry. Only 9% of UK engineers are from BAME (black and minority ethic) backgrounds, despite that an average of 29.9% of engineering university graduates are from BAME background.

These are just some figures that point to a need for change in the UK built environment sector.

Leading the Way in Recruitment Best Practice

Our ED&I Champion helps advise our consultants and clients on the what they need to do to keep ED&I front of mind when hiring. We can then help identify how best to to help you achieve your ED&I goals, monitor and communicate progress and feedback to help improve processes. As professional members of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) we are committed to improving best practice in all aspects of our industry. Through REC we have access to their policies and guidelines enabling us to draw on further expertise when needed.

Meet our ED&I Champion

Ella Razzell is our in-house ED&I champion. She is passionate about educating our consultants so they can best serve our clients and candidates. Ella is a qualified FIR Ambassador (fairness, inclusion & respect) for the construction and built environment sector. Watch this short video to find out more.

Ella is also our 'Fertility in the Workplace' Ambassador, championing the support for colleagues who are starting a family. 1 in 6 of working-age people worldwide experience fertility issues, which can lead to multiple medical appointments, stress or poor mental health.

Find out more about Fertility in the Workplace by Fertility Network UK on their website here, or watch the video below to hear more from Ella. FiTW said, "A wonderful summary of why people should be looking to better understand the impact of fertility in the workplace, from our new Workplace Ambassador Ella Razzell. Thank you so much Ella for sharing your story and for taking on this worthwhile role in your workplace!"