The FLUID Diversity Mentoring Programme 2017-18 will launch on Wednesday 27 September 2017, hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, where this scheme to address retention and development of talented practitioners in the built environment first began, back in 2012. Now in its fifth year, the programme operates UK wide and has included mentors from around the world.
Previously under the aegis of Architects for Change, the FLUID mentoring programme will now be run by Built by Us, the not-for-profit social enterprise founded by architect, Danna Walker.
The FLUID Mentoring Programme is designed to support built environment practitioners from diverse backgrounds over a period of 12 months. The programme is run on a one-to-one developmental model with volunteer mentors and mentee applicants, recruited and paired from across all levels and all professional disciplines.
The programme seeks particularly to support and encourage those under-represented in the professional and managerial disciplines including women, BME and LGBT practitioners, and professionals with disabilities and those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The launch will commence with a welcome opening address by Katy Ghahremani, Co-Chair of Architects for Change and Director at Make. The programme is seeking mentors from a range of construction professions to take part, detail on scheme and how to apply is available on the FLUID Mentoring website.
In her long career in the industry which began as an apprentice electrician, Danna Walker trained and qualified as an architect, before moving into the construction skills sector. Danna is passionate about making the industry more accessible to skilled and talented people from all walks of life.
The FLUID programme was developed in response to evidence gathered on diversity by the Construction Industry Council (CIC), by Architects for Change, by the Government’s Fair Access to the Professions Report, by the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Race Discrimination in the Construction Industry Inquiry Report, as well as others.
