Diversity

Airbus and the GEDC (Global Engineering Deans Council), the leading global organisation for engineering education, have opened the call for nominations for the inaugural GECD Airbus Diversity Award. The initiative aims to reward individuals who have been pro-active in bringing more diversity into engineering classrooms around the world. The long term aim is to ensure that industry reflects the diversity of the communities it supports. This means more balance between men and women, more diversity in social and cultural backgrounds, and equal opportunities for comparable skills for disabled people. The strong demand for engineers globally means that industry must attract and secure an increasingly diverse talent pool to continue to innovate and build the world of tomorrow.

Sarah Rajala, Dean, College of Engineering, Iowa State University and Chair of the GEDC, said: "The Award Committee is looking for initiatives which have delivered results and could be developed regionally or even globally. We hope that other institutions will take up the challenge to ensure that engineering graduates and professionals reflect the society in which we live, work and teach."