DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Tipper Group

We also encourage and support diversity and inclusion through the formation of the Tipper Group, named after the female Cambridge fracture engineer Constance Tipper.  Created in 2016, The Tipper Group was established to support and encourage female talent in materials joining and engineering disciplines. Three years on, it is building on the series of successful events and activities it has already carried out and expanding its focus for an even wider reach.

The Tipper Group is growing in order to create and promote an inclusive culture that inspires, attracts, recruits and supports career development of people irrespective of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, beliefs, (dis)abilities, and socio-economic background.

This new mission includes improving employee experience and employer perception in an environment that understands and promotes diversity and inclusion at all levels.  The Tipper Group, the National Structural Integrity Research Centre, The Welding Institute and TWI itself are all working towards achieving these goals.

Our key objectives include supporting career progress and peer-to-peer learning, supporting and improving work/life balance, mentoring and peer support, as well as developing an awareness of unconscious bias and developing confidence. To meet these objectives, we organise a calendar of events, attended by industry and academia, and are supported by a strong social media presence.

The Tipper Group also represents TWI at the Academy and Science Council Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework Steering Group at the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Through our diversity and inclusion activities we aim to develop a culture of openness, respect and tolerance.

As part of TWI's commitment to diversity and inclusion, we have introduced a parental support scheme.

Having a child is a life-changing experience, whether you are a man or a woman, but it can also have an impact on your working life. The most obvious example is when you return to work after a period of maternity or paternity leave, but there are many other practical and emotional considerations too.

It can be a wrench to leave your child in the care of others while you return to work and even the task of finding suitable child-care can be a challenge. Then there are other issues to consider, such as what you do when your child is unwell and you have to take time off of work at short notice to look after them.

TWI is aware of these challenges and have created a network of volunteers to act as a parental support group. Being able to speak, in confidence, to someone who has already been through the same challenges can make all the difference. Whether it is getting some practical advice or simply having someone understanding who you can talk to, TWI also recognises that championing issues related to maternity and paternity can help prevent staff leaving and maintain an experienced pool of talented staff.

TWI initiatives, such as our parental support network, have also caught the attention of many of the organisations we work with, who are themselves looking at implementing similar resources for their own staff.