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.