A Case Study on the Engineering Profession – Diversifying to Success!

Kartikee Verma

About KBR

• Headquartered in Houston, Texas

• Employs over 35,000 people worldwide

• Delivers a range of services through its business units:

– Downstream– Infrastructure & Minerals– International Government and Defence– Oil and Gas– Power and Industrial– Technology

Project profiles

• Some of the projects we’ve been involved with:

Yemen LNG Project (first LNG plant in Yemen) Highlights include:-design capacity of 6.9 MTPA (2 trains of 3.45 MTPA)-storage tank capacity of 2 x 140,000 m3 - jetty designed to unload carriers of 70,000-205,000 m3

- challenging logistics in difficult location

Qatar–Bahrain Causeway (when complete, the Qatar Bahrain Causeway will be the world’s longest fixed link marine crossing)

Clipsal 500 V8 supercar race (KBR has been consecutively appointed as Engineering Project Manager for the four-day racing event since 1999 – KBR holds this contract to 2013.)

Clipsal 500 Infrastructure Upgrade 2009 (winner of 6 awards for excellence)

Christies Beach High School Sustainable Learning Centre (is a pedigree bioclimatic building showcasing sustainable construction and services resulting from an integrated design approach)

• Engineering profession remains male-dominated

• Surveys show that women are not staying in or reaching senior positions within engineering organisations

Why is this?

KBR Statistics

• Total of 1,069 employees across Australia

– 28% female employees– 83% are administration staff– 66% are in a senior administration role– 20% are managers– 16% are design drafters– 15% are engineers– 6% in a senior manager role

Total of 1069 employees Australia wide- 28% female employees

Senior Admin 41%

Engineers, 32%

Admin 18%

Design drafters 5%

Managers, 3%

Senior managers 1%

• KBR I&M’s diversity vision

“As a business unit delivering projects globally, we recognise that our people represent the diverse communities we serve and are committed to being an inclusive organisation that respects and fosters each individual’s unique background, characteristics and abilities”

• KBR I&M’s purpose for developing this strategy

“As an employer of technical, commercial and administrative talent, Infrastructure & Minerals believes that if it can provide a workplace that is more broadly inclusive than its competitors, it will enjoy a distinct advantage in the future”

Four main themes:

•Committed leadership

•Procedures and processes

•Clear communication

•Education/training

KBR I&M is seen as welcoming by job candidates from each gender, as well as those from various cultural backgrounds and family circumstances

Return rate among people returning from parental and maternity leave meets or is higher than industry average

Existing employees do not perceive family circumstances or cultural and gender factors to be an inhibitor for internal advancement and progression, and feel supported by their employer

Q1 What do you need to know about an organisation before accepting a job offer?

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Values andShared Vision

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Culture & Feel Other-Specify

Values- Recruitment

Women Men

Q2 What makes you stay at a job?

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Other- Specify

Values- Retention

Women Men

• Workplace flexibility (AWW scheme)

• Condition of service

• Parental leave policy

• Career progression

• Workplace Flexibility

• Conditions of Service

• Parental leave policy

• Career Progression

• Female-friendly environment

• Opportunities available to all staff for training and potential for growth

• Provision of opportunities for career progression

• Desirable working hours