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Ten Steps Programme

“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.”
Jesse Jackson, Activist

Ten Steps Programs

The WISE Ten Steps diversity and inclusion programme

Our much-acclaimed Ten Steps is an industry-led campaign to ensure that women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have the same opportunities as men to pursue and thrive in STEM careers.

But meaningful change can only be accomplished by working together. By collaborating collectively to remove gender bias, increase the number of female role models and level the playing field for women in STEM, we can make these sectors more attractive to females. The programme is backed by signatories from a variety of high-profile businesses across the UK who have pledged to recruit, retain and develop female talent.

A key benefit of becoming a signatory is access to our Ten Steps diagnostic tool which will identify areas where your business can improve gender balance and help you foster a truly inclusive culture. The tool is complemented with a wealth of practical resources including inspiring stories and best practice tips from industry changemakers. You’ll also be invited to take part in our annual benchmarking event where you can track your progress and share learnings with others.

Companies that have submitted results for our annual benchmarking event since 2016 have seen cultural change and increased their scores by an average of 30%.

See how you measure up with our Diversity & Inclusion Assessment Tool

WISE Ten Steps benefits

Reap the benefits of an inclusive workplace. Ten Steps helps you to:

  • Boost business performance by identifying areas for improved gender balance.
  • Remove the barriers to inclusivity through a series of practical actions.
  • Benchmark your organisation’s progress against other members.
  • Connect and share best practices with a powerful network of change-makers.
  • Trigger fresh ideas to inspire real change and innovation.
  • Reinforce your organisation’s commitment to equal opportunities and strengthen your reputation as an employer of choice.

See Other Signatories

Ten Steps Success Stories

The WISE Ten Steps has received the seal of approval from small and large companies up and down the UK. But don’t just take our word for it. Find out how it’s helped others below.

“Our relationship with WISE has grown significantly since we became corporate members in August 2015 and our business is responding positively to our work on gender diversity following the implementation of the WISE Ten Steps model. We are acknowledging changes in our culture following developments of several initiatives including unconscious bias training and our Returners to Work programme”
We are working with WISE to share best practice across the industry and forming a strategy for our 10 year vision for gender diversity and how this fits within the wider E, D & I programme.

Ten Steps Questions & Answers

Yes. The Ten Steps is a corporate cultural change programme designed to promote, retain & develop women within the STEM workforce. Your company must register as a WISE corporate member and sign up as a Ten Steps signatory to gain access to the framework. Online Members can sign up Signatories to show their commitment to ensuring cultural change in their organisation but will have limited access to events and support. Core Members and above have access to additional case studies, best practices and our benchmarking diagnostic tool and Premium Members are also offered a complimentary bespoke Ten Steps workshop as part of their membership.

Once your organisation has registered as a WISE Ten Steps signatory, Core Members and above will be able to complete the Ten Steps diagnostic tool. This enables you to benchmark your diversity efforts against our Ten Steps Signatories Cohort, identifying where you are doing well and any areas where you could improve your diversity efforts. After benchmarking online, you will receive a personalised report with links to best practice and case studies collected from other WISE Member organisations.

For a truly bespoke intervention, we recommend that you book a Ten Steps Workshop in which we will share this diagnostic with your employees, collate responses and analyse the data we receive. Premium members receive a complimentary Ten Steps workshop as one of their Member interventions. During the workshop, we will work through your WISE Ten Steps diagnostic results to identify the areas which require the most attention and look at a range of practical interventions that might help address those shortcomings.

The WISE Ten Steps provides a co-ordinated framework for action by STEM employers based on what has worked elsewhere. The programme is not fixed – it allows you to work at your own pace and choose the areas that you wish to focus on. We offer training, tailored workshops and consultancy services to support this, as well as sharing case studies and best practices from our network of 200 corporate members, all striving to improve diversity and inclusion within their organisations.

Each year, WISE contact all the signatories and ask for them to complete the Ten Steps diagnostic. These results are collated and presented as part of our Measuring Progress Event, held annually in October. This allows us to track your company’s progress with the Ten Steps over the years and identify areas in which improvements have been made. We work closely with our signatory companies to share experiences and examples of best practice, through case studies, Knowledge Sharing Events and webinars. Over time, though progress can be slow, you will begin to see the culture of your organisation shift and welcome a more diverse workforce.

This isn’t about making women a special case or about promoting women at the expense of anyone else. Many of the actions proposed will benefit everyone. We have focused on women because women represent the biggest under-used talent pool within STEM industries in the UK. The points could usefully be applied to other under-represented groups such as people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Ten Steps Programme Contact Form

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