Workforce and STEM talent solutions experts Impellam Group, powered by Guidant Global, have signed the Women in Defence Charter - a pivotal commitment in developing a more diverse workforce within the UK defence sector.
The Women in Defence Charter, originally launched back in 2017, is a voluntary pledge for organisations in the sector to work towards achieving a better gender balance.
Creating inclusive workplace cultures in defence
The Women in Defence Charter emphasises the need for inclusive workplace cultures and that gender balance requires more than just increasing the number of women in the workforce.
It is also a commercial imperative, not just a cultural one. Aerospace and defence is transforming into a tech, AI and data driven sector. The engineering and digital skills it now depends on are among the scarcest in the UK. Organisation facing that level of skills shortage can’t afford to leave candidates out of their talent pool. Widening access for women is one of the most direct routes to closing the capability gaps that are delaying programmes and constraining growth across the sector.
One of the key aspects of the charter is addressing the barriers that prevent the progression of women in the defence sector and identifying and dismantling systemic obstacles that may impede the professional growth of female employees.
By actively working to break down these barriers, organisations can ensure that women have equal opportunities for career advancement, mentorship, and professional development.
Whilst this charter is aimed at defence companies, it is also highly relevant to companies and organisations that are in the supply chain for defence companies and government departments.
At Guidant Global, our defence recruitment work has including partnering with defence and aerospace companies specifically on increasing gender diversity within their workforce. We have plans for the years ahead to build on this work and promote this as a positive step to take for new clients and partners.
That work goes beyond policy statements. We know what drives candidates to choose a role and an employer, not just what skills they have on paper. We help clients tailor their attraction campaigns and build sustainable talent pools that bring underrepresented groups into mission critical roles for the long term.
"We're excited to be working together with the Women in Defence Charter, taking steps to ensure a more equal gender balance in the defence sector by working with forward thinking companies that can also see the value of this," says Lynsey Derosa, Strategic Programme Director at Guidant Global.
"Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is central to everything we stand for and as the UK defence industry continues to expand into new areas and develop new technologies, it will be more important than ever."
With UK defence investment set to rise sharply over the coming decade, and the sector's fastest growth happening in digital, AI and data driven capability, the organisations that build genuinely inclusive workforces now will be the ones best placed to staff that growth.
Report: Delivering the defence workforce of the future
Guidant Global's report gathered data from across the defence sector for their input into what is affecting and influencing talent in the industry, including attitudes and opportunities to diversify the defence supply chain.
Find out more by downloading the report.
Get in touch and talk to our expert team if improving defence recruitment and building a more diverse pipeline of mission critical talent is a priority for your organisation.
