As part of our wider work to create an inclusive engineering profession we work with the Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs) to increase diversity and inclusion (D&I). A key tool to support our efforts is the D&I Progression Framework for science and engineering professional bodies and learned societies.
We have now reviewed, refined and updated the Progression Framework for the 2024/2025 round of self-assessment and benchmarking:
We encourage PEIs to self-assess against the Framework, and the benchmarking exercise will be conducted from the end of April 2025.
Previous Benchmarking exercise
The 2021 report presents the headlines from the combined findings of the 2021 Progression Framework 2.0 benchmarking exercise for UK professional engineering institutions (PEIs) and scientific bodies.
In addition to the joint report, more detailed sector-specific reports have been produced on the performance of PEIs and scientific bodies. All participating organisations also received a confidential report containing feedback on the performance of their own organisation in the benchmarking exercise.
Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework Report 2021 - Professional Engineering Institutions
What is the Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework 3.0?
The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Progression Framework was developed in a collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering (the Academy) and the Science Council to progress D&I across engineering and science professional bodies. In 2024, the Framework was reviewed and updated with input from professional engineering institutions and Science Council member bodies.
The D&I Progression Framework is a unique tool that helps professional bodies track and plan progress on D&I across ten areas of professional body activity, including:
- Governance and leadership
- Membership and professional registration
- Meetings, conferences and events
- Education and training, accreditation and examinations (delivered by/for the institution)
- Accreditation of education and training (delivered by external providers)
- Prizes, awards and grants
- Communications and marketing (activities that promote the organisation, its activities and services)
- Outreach and engagement (activities that seek to engage and increase interest and widen participation in STEM)
- Employment
- Monitoring and measuring
The aim of the Framework is to support professional bodies to:
- Track performance and progress on D&I against four levels of good practice, where level one is the starting point and level four the highest level of good practice (level zero indicates an organisation has not yet started to address D&I within a particular area of activity)
- Structure conversations internally about performance and progress on D&I
- Identify strengths and areas for development
- Plan next steps in making progress on D&I
- Connect with and learn from other organisations in the sector, sharing successes and working to address challenges on D&I.
For more information, contact the Academy Diversity team or Science Council. A Progression Framework Implementation Group (PFIG), has been established to help engineering and science professional bodies make progress against the D&I progression framework. It meets regularly under its Terms of Reference.
Explore the 2017 benchmarking report
The first collective benchmarking across engineering and science professional took place in summer 2017. Twenty professional engineering institutions and 21 Science Council member bodies self-assessed against the benchmark and key findings.
Diversity and Inclusion guidelines
These guidelines contain steps that institutions can take to increase diversity and inclusion. They include examples of action related to marketing and publicity (including IT), recruitment and selection of steering groups and committees, events, monitoring and evaluation, and awards and scheme selection and programme design.