The number of female graduates joining Aecom has risen 18% on five years ago.
Female graduates make up 43% of Aecom’s total intake in 2018, significantly higher than the industry average of 26%.
Meanwhile the company recorded a 12% increase in female graduates to its transportation business since 2017, which it said was a challenging sector in which to recruit women.
To achieve the increase, the company has rebranded its graduate marketing materials by changing language, tone, colour and content based on research around how female applicants behave and what they look for.
It has also given more focus to promoting the company’s culture, environment and its corporate social responsibility activities, as well as highlighting the achievements of its female engineers through online and print editorial in the graduate recruitment space and through a targeted social media campaign.
David Barwell, chief executive – UK & Ireland, Aecom, said: “Some years ago we realised we needed to think laterally and more creatively about how to attract and retain the best female talent. The ability to draw on the skills of a diverse range of people from a variety of different backgrounds is vital to our success as a business and the projects we deliver. Greater diversity leads to better outcomes, encouraging innovation and creativity.
“Our 2018 graduate gender split is the latest year-on-year improvement we’ve achieved in the UK and Ireland and we won’t stop until we are satisfied our workforce represents the communities we serve. The graduates joining us this year will have meaningful roles on a range of vital, complex and innovative projects, and none of this work is gender specific. With the built environment sector facing a persistent gender imbalance, taking our profession to the people the industry needs to reach rather than expecting them to find us is key.”
Among other measures Aecom has put in place to achieve a more diverse workforce is attracting more female apprentices and working with schools to help encourage young people, and girls in particular, into technical professions. The company’s returner programme, launched earlier this year, is designed to support women and men from a range of backgrounds back into the workplace following career breaks.
