STEM PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY RESOURCES

The SPIDER Network is a partnership of STEM Professional Institutions committed to engage actively in adopting best practice to ensure diversity and equality are fully integrated in all their activities and to develop resources for this purpose.

The founding members are the Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Academy of Engineering and the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC).

The network will provide a framework for productive sharing of resources and expertise in areas of common concern and where more generic services could be effective. Resources and support will include:

• tools for addressing gender equality and diversity within higher education and research environments,
• models for working with and supporting industry partners,
• support for policy and practice review within professional bodies’ own operation and work with their members
• approaches to integrating equality and diversity into the public engagement activities of professional bodies

The network therefore has four key strands of activity:

Strand A – Support for Higher Education and Research organisations

(Athena Partnership)

The Athena Partnership is a grouping of STEM professional institutions and learned societies that are committed to fostering good practice in higher education science, technology, engineering and mathematics as part of the legacy of the Athena Project. Membership of the Athena Partnership will enable professional institutions and learned societies to support higher education departments in their respective disciplines:

• in creating a culture in which students and staff, men and women, can achieve their full potential;
• to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of women;
• to meet the requirements of the Gender Equality Duty
• to gain Athena SWAN recognition

Strand B – Support for Industry

The UKRC and professional bodies are working with industry to increase the recruitment and retention of women in SET. A key focus is looking at the culture of organisations, as this is regarded as a major influence in the retention of women. Industry site visits and focus groups, the UKRC Culture Analysis Tool and consultancy are some of the tools used to help organisations analyse the culture of their workplace and to make positive steps to improve the workplace for all staff. Where good practice is identified we will work with the organisation to gain maximum publicity through the use of case studies and PR. The UKRC Quality Mark is an award for those organisations where commitment and progress on gender equality and diversity is evident.

Strand C – Support for internal organisation and culture change for professional bodies themselves.

Professional bodies have a key role to play in:

• supporting their members to progress their careers as SET professionals
• working with universities and employers to maintain and develop the key standards for accreditation, registration and progression
• promoting best practice in the professions and widening accessibility for talented individuals
• influencing the positive image of SET professions and occupations and their role and benefit to the current and future economy
• developing the future SET workforce to meet changing economic and social needs and opportunities

In order to be leaders in their field, respond to changing demographics and developments in the composition of the professions linked to STEM, as well as the evolving policy and legislative context on equality and diversity, professional bodies need to model best practice within their own organisation and take positive steps to embed equality and diversity in all aspects of their activity and governance.

Professional bodies will receive support to assess their needs and priorities and develop and implement their own individual action plan working with UKRC and other members of the network.

Strand D – Actions to increase public engagement with STEM and the role of Professional Bodies in relation to gender equality

The network will also develop resources to assist professional bodies in their work on public engagement with STEM and to integrate gender equality and diversity fully and positively within these activities. This strand will pay particular attention to emerging debates and issues in science and society policy, the wider STEM education agenda and to the opportunities afforded by major events such as the 2012 Games.

How can you get involved?

Professional bodies can be involved in one or all of the strands in the network. The community includes a wide range of organisations with differing levels of resources and at different stages of development of their diversity agenda. The SPIDER network aims to enable organisations to access the right level of support and engagement for their situation and to encourage their contribution to the ongoing work of the network and further development of appropriate resources.

Please contact Tracie Fenton at UKRC for more details:

t.fenton@ukrc4setwomen.org or 01274 437005