Black Engineers of Canada is kickstarting Black History Month with ongoing initiatives that make an impact on the success and retention of Black engineers in Canada. Although the month is an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to learn more about Black history in Canada and celebrate the accomplishments of Black people, the work to combat anti-Black racism needs to be an ongoing effort.
Black Engineers of Canada (BEC) was formed in 2020 with a mission to provide an enabling environment for growth and leadership by developing pathways to excellence for Black engineers and engineering graduates.
The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked worldwide protests and a belated reckoning on anti-Black racism and police violence. Iretomiwa Olukiyesi, P.Eng., started fielding calls about how to improve diversity at some companies. Organizations such as the Black North Initiative challenged companies to pledge to cultivate meaningful change and end anti-Black systemic racism. Against this backdrop, Olukiyesi and Ayo Abiola, P.Eng. realized that Black engineers need a community.
They founded BEC alongside three other founding directors—Réjeanne Aimey, P.Eng., Lindsay Lashley, P.Eng., and Jerome James, P.Eng.—to work towards sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by Black engineers and engineering graduates. These include: underemployment, underrepresentation, and undercompensation; a limited ability to obtain internship or co-op opportunities that would help Black engineering graduates secure full-time employment upon graduation; hiring bias and hostile work environments; a lack of opportunities for professional growth and a higher likelihood to hit a glass ceiling; a lack of patronage in the competitive consulting sector; and, for internationally trained engineers, a limited ability to obtain their engineering licence due to a lack of Canadian work experience or not working under a licensed professional.
BEC is responding to these challenges with initiatives that are focused on assisting Black engineers with skills and opportunities to excel in their chosen engineering profession. And they plan to raise the visibility of Black engineers with key stakeholders such as engineering employers in Canada.
Developing pathways to excellence for Black engineers
“We are marking this year’s Black History Month with continuing rollout of our 2020 promising initiatives that will position members of Black Engineers of Canada for excellence in the engineering profession, and for them to build up companies that will grow the Canadian economy,” says Olukiyesi, BEC’s founding director of Programs and Initiatives.
BEC plans to kickstart their initiatives with their Annual Meeting of Members, to be held virtually on February 16, 2022. This will be followed by a fireside chat about engineering licensing, practice, and diversity in Canada, moderated and coordinated by Engineers Canada and featuring panellists from engineering regulators, including APEGA, Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Engineers Nova Scotia, Engineers Yukon, and PEO. Register for the Annual Meeting of Members and the fireside chat here.
Thus far, BEC has established a platform where Black engineering talent can be easily found (on LinkedIn and a newly launched website). They have also created numerous programs for Black engineering graduates and engineers, including:
- Coaching and mentoring: BEC Mentoring Programs connect Black engineering talent with volunteer mentors within the community of engineers and engineering graduates across Canadian organizations.
- Entrepreneurship incubation: BEC will create an environment for entrepreneurship incubation and will partner with top business leaders to provide mentoring, coaching, and access to start-up funds for BEC entrepreneurs.
- Networking for career growth: BEC will create an enabling environment for networking both within our communities and with BEC’s talent partners.
- BEC Internship and work experience programs: The BEC internship and work experience program is designed to create opportunities for Black engineering students and Black skilled immigrants to gain Canadian work experience.
- BEC Academy: BEC will create an environment for continuous learning by providing best-in-class learning experience to our community to enable them to progress in their careers.
- Student scholarships: BEC will create a student scholarship program to enable and support deserving Black engineering students pursue their career dreams in engineering.
In 2021, BEC’s programs matched 25 mentors to 75 mentees in three speed mentoring events; helped 20 members secure jobs in engineering; and offered four master class series that upskilled 45 members in soft skills.
BEC is fundraising as they work to further grow these programs, and they are seeking volunteer mentors.
"One action you can take today is to advocate and support causes that provide development and employment opportunities for the Black engineers of Canada,” says Olukiyesi. “There are a lot of Black engineers in Canada today that are either not employed or are underemployed despite their degree in engineering and are therefore not able to be role models or champions. This will have to change. Please choose to make a difference today and donate your time as a mentor or your money (finance@blackengineers.ca) to the Black Engineers of Canada."
"We have a collective duty to make sure that in 2022 and beyond, every person has equitable access to opportunities to meaningfully put their abilities to work, for a better future,” adds Abiola. “This is also how Canada can stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. I will encourage everyone, regardless of your affiliations, to consider joining or getting involved with Black Engineers of Canada."
