Ensuring equality and diversity in the Energy Sector begins with assembling diverse learning communities. Engineering as a discipline forms a crucial part of this learning community. The Graduate Apprenticeship in Civil Engineering (GA-CE), and other Graduate Apprenticeships, were set up to create new pathways into engineering for people from different backgrounds by diversifying the number of stakeholders involved in recruitment, the granular nature of this recruitment has translated to less diversity in our GA-CE than traditional undergraduate programmes. GA programmes have documented sector-wide issues with diversity. This project seeks to identify the key factors affecting recruitment to the GA-CE and develop recommendations to increase diversity in recruitment of future GA cohorts. Funding will be used to conduct interviews and focus groups with employers and apprentices to characterise the recruitment experience from all angles and inform initiatives that we can begin as soon as possible to improve diversity in future GA applicant pools.
 

Flexible funding: FA2 round 1 2023

Watch Dr Stewart Beattie's (University of Strathclyde) presentation at the IGNITE Annual Event 2025 

Read the Final Report: PEERS - Pathways for Equal access to the Energy Research Sector
 

✅  Key Findings:

• Graduate/Degree Apprenticeships (G/DAs) offer alternative routes into higher education but lack diversity in gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.
• Recruitment practices—especially in smaller firms—often rely on informal methods like word-of-mouth and “gut feeling,” which can unintentionally exclude diverse candidates.
• Awareness gaps: Many students, especially in traditional degree paths, misunderstand or are unaware of G/DAs. Schools are not seen as reliable sources of information.
• Support gaps: Apprentices face challenges balancing employer expectations and personal development, with limited support for caring responsibilities compared to university staff.
• Cultural issues: Exclusive behaviours like “male banter” persist on construction sites, often unchallenged.
   

✅ Recommendations:

• Promote objective, inclusive recruitment: wider advertising, anonymous CVs, and structured scoring.
• Improve school-level awareness of G/DAs to support informed decision-making.
• Enhance employer understanding of apprenticeship requirements and provide better support for apprentices.
• Address workplace culture to ensure inclusive environments for all.

The work is aligned with research as part of the EDI+ Network, an ESPRC funded network of research fellows looking into improving diversity in the energy research sector.