Welcome to the activities of the EPC’s Inclusive Employability toolkit, supported by Canterbury Christ Church University, Equal Engineers, The Royal Academy of Engineering, and Wrexham University. Click here for the toolkit homepage.
As you progress through the toolkit, you will encounter a series of twelve interactive activities, labelled Activities A through L. Each activity has been thoughtfully designed to deepen your understanding and practical application of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles across a range of academic, professional, and social contexts. The toolkit also provides access to an additional resource – the University Career Services Library – where you can find direct links to the career services of 96 universities. This library serves as a valuable starting point for exploring career development support, including workshops, employment opportunities, internships, mentoring schemes, and other services available through your university.
These activities are intended to challenge you to think critically, reflect on real-world scenarios, and consider your own experiences, assumptions, and behaviours through an EDI lens. Through engaging with these exercises, you will:
- Explore key EDI themes, such as unconscious bias, inclusive language, accessibility, intersectionality, and allyship
- Apply EDI concepts to realistic situations you may encounter in university life, the workplace, or broader society
- Build self-awareness and gain insight into your own perspectives and responsibilities within diverse communities
- Develop practical strategies for fostering inclusivity and equity in your academic and professional environments.
Each activity includes instructions, examples, and reflective prompts to help you engage fully with the content. You are encouraged to move through the activities at your own pace, taking time to reflect thoughtfully on each section before proceeding to the next.
The goal of these activities is not only to enhance your knowledge but also to empower you to become a more inclusive, informed, and active contributor to positive change within your community.
Be sure to complete all twelve activities, as they lay the foundation for your personal EDI self-assessment and continued growth. Additionally, explore the University Career Services Library – a valuable resource that links you to your institution’s career services, where you can find further support such as workshops, mentoring opportunities, and employment pathways.
Before you begin, ensure you have reviewed the About the Inclusive Employability Toolkit page. This section offers a comprehensive overview of the significance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within both academic and professional engineering contexts. It lays the foundation for your learning journey and provides essential context for the activities and tools that follow.
Activities
| Activities | Topic | Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Activity A: Introduction to EDI | Fostering innovation through diversity and inclusive communication. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion STEM Job or Career Impact Leadership or Management Employability and Skills Enterprise and Innovation Cultural Competency Workplace Culture |
| Activity B: Applying for jobs | Navigating digital recruitment in engineering: CVs, AI, and aptitude tests. | Equity Diversity and Inclusion Employability and skills Problem solving Assessment criteria or methods and tools CVs and cover letters Digitalisation Artificial intelligence Information and Digital literacy Communication Technical integration Writing skills Inclusive or Responsible design Neurodiversity Curriculum or Course Computer science Computing Engineering professionals Professional development Recruitment Digital engineering tools Business or trade or industry Workplace culture |
| Activity C: Getting interview ready! | Mastering video and virtual interview skills with inclusive preparation strategies. | Neurodiversity Equity Diversity and Inclusion Interviews Recruitment CVs and cover letters Digitalisation Communication Employability and skills Accessibility Professional development Professional conduct Digital engineering tools Artificial intelligence Virtual Learning Environment Personal or professional reputation Student support Technology Assessment criteria or methods and tools Bias |
| Activity D: Voices of change | Inspiring diversity and resilience: stories of underrepresented engineers driving innovation and inclusion. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Students Employability and skills Mentoring Job or career impact Early careers Higher education institutions Engineering professionals Curriculum or course Social responsibility Societal impact Corporate social responsibility Apprenticeships or work based learning Personal or professional reputation |
| Activity E: Elevating visibility | Building confidence and inclusion through mindful communication in the workplace. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Communication Students Mentoring Job or career impact Early careers Engineering professionals Curriculum or course Personal or professional reputation Societal impact Social responsibility Corporate social responsibility Higher education institutions Apprenticeships or work based learning Leadership or management Gender |
| Activity F: Elevating your digital professional profile | How to build your personal brand with inclusive CVs, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion CVs and cover letters Employability and skill Personal or professional reputation Communication Writing skills Recruitment Professional conduct Digitalisation Business or trade or industry Ethical awareness Inclusive or Responsible design Networking. |
| Activity G: Unlocking the power of networking | Building social capital: networking strategies for underrepresented students in STEM. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Students Job or career impact Early Careers Engineering professionals# Apprenticeships or Work based learning Mentoring Personal or professional reputation Social responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility Higher Education Institutions Gender Networking STEM |
| Activity H: Strategy playbook for assessment centres | Standing out with confidence at assessment centres: a guide to preparation, authenticity, and success. | Problem solving Employability and skills Communication Leadership or management Collaboration Digitalisation Professional development Writing Skills Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Neurodiversity Inclusive or Responsible design Recruitment Business or trade or industry Workplace culture Information and Digital literacy Artificial Intelligence |
| Activity I: EDI quest – EDI game | An interactive game-based resource that helps students explore and apply Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles through real-world workplace scenarios. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Inclusive or Responsible design Communication Employability and skills Professional development Problem solving Digitalisation Information and Digital literacy |
| Activity J: Reflect and grow | A guided self-assessment journal that supports personal reflection, growth, and deeper understanding of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through personalised feedback and self-affirmation. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Cultural competency Professional development Inclusive or Responsible design Active learning |
| Activity K: Reciprocal mentoring | Building inclusive communities through EDI mentorship: fostering growth, networks, and social justice. | Mentoring Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Justice Social responsibility Collaboration Ethics Professional development Leadership or management |
| Activity L: Next steps | Enhancing career growth and social responsibility through active engagement in EDI events, networks, and diverse work experiences | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Social responsibility Professional development Employability and skills Collaboration Leadership or management Gender Networking Neurodiversity LGBTQ+ |
| Inclusive Employability Toolkit: University Career Services Library | A comprehensive list of university career services to support your professional development and career planning. | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Job or career impact Employability and skills Higher Education University and industry relations Students Apprenticeships or Work based learning Recruitment and admissions Professional development Workplace culture Student support |
To ensure that everyone can use and adapt these activities in a way that best fits their teaching or purpose, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Under this license you are free to share and adapt this material, under terms that you must give appropriate credit and attribution to the original material and indicate if any changes are made.