Wakefield Operations Director, Vanessa Smith, writes on the work being undertaken to promote diversity at CCEP's manufacturing sites.

The days of construction careers being portrayed as low paid, low skilled, low prospect jobs for academic underachievers should have been confined to history, yet research by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) shows the sector remains tainted by these outdated misconceptions.

The effects of the pandemic have set the industry back, but the Creative Diversity Network believes that greater collaboration between industry and government can change that.

The new Chair of the Bar Nick Vineall KC will deliver his inaugural speech at Middle Temple on Tuesday evening (10 January) setting out his priorities for the year: promoting the independence of advocates; addressing the “unfinished business” of remuneration for publicly funded criminal work; ensuring the appropriate level of regulation of the profession; and taking action to improve diversity at the Bar.

Census data this month revealed that 10 million of us in the United Kingdom were born overseas, an increase of 2.5 million since 2011. India topped the list as the most common overseas birthplace followed by Poland, Pakistan, Romania and Ireland.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has called for greater diversity in Parliament as he celebrated three Black political trailblazers.

People asked for data to help build a workplace where everyone belongs

Governments must chiefly be judged by the merits of their actions, not simply by how they look

Responding to today's publication of the official Diversity of the Judiciary 2022 Statistics, Mark Fenhalls QC, Chair of the Bar Council, said:

Qualifying companies have provided evidence that they are championing All In’s work and have adopted the first six actions from its Action Plan

Sooner or later, every woman entrepreneur pitching for investment will encounter a similar experience.

Key membership bodies in the built environment sector have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive forward the creation of a more diverse, equitable and inclusive sector, ensuring it is more representative of the society it serves.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is opening up the next group of categories in its annual search for the UK’s finest construction and built environment talent.

The saying: ‘if you want a job done, give it to a busy woman’ holds particularly true in a year in which we have all faced a great many challenges – and nowhere more so than in the world of Westminster.

Openreach today announced it will create and fill more than 4,000 jobs during 2022 – including around 3,000 apprenticeships – as it continues to invest billions of pounds into its broadband network, people and training.

Last week, construction professionals and parliamentarians came together for CIOB’s first parliamentary reception since March 2020. Hosted by James Sunderland MP and sponsored by Glodon, the event was an opportunity to review the current state of the industry and its ambitions for the future.

To achieve long term success, the UK construction industry must reflect society as a whole.

CIOB has launched a diversity and inclusion charter.

The House magazine’s Women in Westminster: The 100, is back for a third year, and nominations are now open at www.womeninwestminster.co.uk.

Sharon Lloyd Barnes, Commercial Director and Inclusion Lead, at the Advertising Association, and Caroline Dinenage MP, former Minister for Digital and Culture reflect on the importance of inclusion in advertising, and how we can nurture talent in our workforce.

Far too many disabled people have felt overlooked at every step of the Covid response. Without government action, we risk going backwards on the progress we have made towards equality.

The next meeting of the APPG for management will take place tomorrow (14th September) on the topic of EDI; fair, inclusive work.