Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiatives in Postgraduate Engineering

Abstract

UK Higher Education (HE) is characterised by disproportionately low participation rates of minority ethnic groups, particularly in postgraduate study, and there are stark differences between ethnic groups in terms of retention, outcomes, and progression.Disparities increase at higher levels of education, suggesting the existence of barriers to the progression of minority ethnic students into postgraduate education. The impact of this appears to continue beyond HE, as disparities persist into employment and progression to senior levels. Such disparities have led to a large focus on the implementation of interventions that aim to improve equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).This work examines the implementation of a pilot EDI programme for minority ethnic engineering doctorate students at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI). Throughout the EDI programme, students participated in coaching sessions and leadership development sessions with two external providers and received formal sponsorship from senior staff members. This research investigates the decision-making processes regarding the programme and the impact of the course within the wider context in which it was implemented. A thematic approach is utilised to analyse data from semi-structured interviews held with key stakeholders involved in the course: students who participated, external providers who delivered the course, sponsors, and university staff members who implemented the course. Thematic analysis is also performed on programme documentation. The key findings highlight the potential benefits of coaching, leadership development, and sponsorship for minority ethnic postgraduate research students, certain ways in which the institutional culture may limit the advancement of EDI, particularly related to race equity, and the importance of authentic institutional support of EDI for meaningful change. The data-driven conclusions provide recommendations to improve the EDI landscape within the institution and elsewhere