AFBE-UK Scotland, a social enterprise that encourages greater diversity and inclusion in the energy and engineering sectors, has agreed a partnership with bp.

From left to right, Hisham Hamid, Education, Employability and Skills Advisor People and Culture at bp; Ollie Folayan, Chair of AFBE-UK Scotland; Dushyant Sharma, Vice President Transformation and Doris Reiter, Senior Vice President North Sea at bp.

AFBE-UK supports all young people, particularly those from black minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, with career aspirations in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). 

The organisation will work closely with bp to support its diversity and inclusion approach with a particular focus on its recruitment strategy and progression of ethnic minority staff into leadership positions.

The partnership will see bp utilise AFBE-UK’s recruitment portal to advertise opportunities as well as working with the social enterprise to increase the number and diversity of its work experience placements for university students.

There are also plans for bp to participate in AFBE-UK’s Transition, Real Projects and NextGen programmes.

Ollie Folayan, chair of Aberdeen-based AFBE-UK Scotland, said: 
“It is an honour for AFBE-UK to have entered into a strategic partnership with a globally renowned organisation such as bp. Employees of bp have been part of our journey since we started our work in Scotland. It’s great to make the relationship formal.

“We are very much looking forward to working with the bp team as they continue to develop their diversity and inclusion strategy. bp’s UK framework for action on racial injustice has been exemplary. This is a fantastic partnership and one where both parties have a key role to play to help achieve its diversity and inclusion goals.”

bp's UK framework for action was put in place to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) across the company’s regions and businesses. Through this aim, bp is taking steps for positive change and holding itself accountable.

Dushyant Sharma, Vice President Transformation of bp, said: 
“We’re delighted to be signing this agreement with AFBE to help us drive our DE&I ambitions. While bp has made good progress by recording and publishing data, there is still work to do in order for the company to be more reflective of the society in which we live. We are committed to continually improving, and AFBE is absolutely the right organisation to help us achieve that.”

Kerry Griffith, DE&I Consultant Eastern Hemisphere of bp, added: 
“Entering into this agreement with AFBE is a major step towards supporting our UK framework for action ambitions. The mutual benefits are plain to see in terms of accessing the available talent in the market. Fewer than 10% of UK engineers are from an ethnic minority background despite representing a near-30% of university graduates. This partnership will help broaden access to the opportunities available and help boost representation within the industry.”

The addition of bp brings the total number of corporate members in the diversity and inclusion organisation to 66, with the global integrated energy business joining others such as the Mercedes F1 team and The University of Aberdeen in becoming members.

AFBE-UK was founded in London in 2007. Its Scotland division was founded in 2011 and is based in Aberdeen. 

The social enterprise also provides mentoring programmes to support young people from under-represented groups. 

This includes its schools programme NextGen, where industry leaders and professionals give advice to pupils through engaging events; Transition, where industry leaders help aspiring engineering professionals to enter the job market; and Real Projects, where industry professionals share their knowledge and expertise with students and recent graduates. Scottish events have been held in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In addition, AFBE-UK Scotland recently ran its first Transcend programme - a senior leadership course to help ethnic minority professionals progress into leadership roles. There were eight business professionals that participated in the 10-week programme. The course was delivered through a series of sessions aimed at unearthing the barriers to career progression and charting a path into leadership.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: AFBE UK