​Thames Water, a UK water services firm, has seen a surge of female applicants after removing gendered words from its job adverts.The water services firm was struggling to attract female applicants to its frontline roles. Last year, only 8% of applicants for sewage works technicians came from women. After investigating why interest was so low, Thames Water used an online too...

​This is a common theme I've noticed from when I first started recruiting in the power utilities industry which I still see come up, if not even more frequently now. Luckily, compared to almost three years ago where I would have just scratched my head, I'd like to think I've developed a much more in depth understanding now on the differences, the benefits to both, but more i...

​​The race is on for a gender equal workforce throughout engineering and infrastructure. In Germany, one third of scientists and engineers are women (33%), significantly behind the European Union average of 40%. How can we address the imbalance? Holly King, a project management recruitment consultant at LVI Associates, discusses the unique position that recruiters play in fu...

​​The race is on for a gender equal workforce throughout engineering and infrastructure. In the US, only 13% of engineers in the workforce are women. How can we address the imbalance? Rebecca Mould, Principal Consultant at LVI Associates, US, discusses the unique position that recruiters play in furthering gender equality.The 2020 International Women’s Day theme is that an e...

​​90% of CEOs report that diversity is a top business priority, yet the dial towards progress has hardly moved in recent years. In engineering, 20% of related degrees are held by women, yet only 13% of the engineering workforce is female. Furthermore, 4% of degrees awarded to women are held by women of color, but only 2% of the total engineering workforce is made up of women...

​The business case for gender diversity is stronger than ever, but many companies are struggling to ensure women are fairly represented in top management. At LVI Associates, we believe the answer is by making gender diversity a commercial imperative - and business leaders agree. A report by McKinsey & Company found that 90% of CEOs said they prioritised gender diversity ...

​On July 25th, LVI Associates and the Singapore Water Association co-hosted Embracing Water Sustainability 2019, which focused on preparing for the future of industrial water consumption. Supported by PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, over 80 Water sector professionals came together to explore cutting-edge developments in the field, network with the peers, and listen t...

​The future for renewable energy looks bright. The Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) seventh annual report that tracks businesses’ solar adoption ranks Apple as the biggest user, with 393.3 MW of capacity now in place. Apple was followed by other big brands from the retail sector, including Amazon, Target and Walmart. The SEIA reports that the U.S. commercial sola...

​“I’m not on the job market or looking to make a move at this time, but I’m always willing to listen.”From what I’ve found working in the energy & infrastructure market for almost 2 years is that the majority of people in this industry aren’t actively looking for new opportunities/on the job market and/or are only passively open to exploring what may be out there... and ...

​A quick scan of job postings for transmission and distribution (T&D) engineers reveals a recurring phrase: subject matter expert (SME). If employers remain willing to hire engineers with niche specialties, so why are so many engineers these days more interested in becoming jacks of all trades?It’s a real concern for employers in the T&D industry. Hanna Ito, Speciali...

​The pressure is on to bring aging U.S. infrastructure back to life before catastrophe strikes. The state of water systems, for instance, brings dangerous levels of contaminants and lead into Americans’ homes, but widespread disaster can be averted with immediate action.Based on the input of 1,300 corrosion professionals, NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) In...

​Although there is no shortage of construction projects, the shortage of skilled craft workers has left contractors scrambling to come up with ways to attract the ever-shrinking talent pool.Dodge Data & Analytics’ 2019 Dodge Construction Outlook forecasted that the total amount of U.S. construction projects starting in 2019 will amount to $808 billion. This amount of wor...

​Tapping into career opportunities in water sustainability in the Asia-Pacific regionClimate change, population growth, and poor management of water resources have pushed the global water crisis to a tipping point. The Asia-Pacific region will be hard hit unless the crisis is averted with better management and new technologies. The United Nations World Water Development Repo...

​Global growth for construction industry led by APAC marketGlobalData forecasts that the pace of expansion in the global construction industry will average around 3.6% per year from 2018-2022, with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region accounting for the largest share of the worldwide construction industry. Some geopolitical factors, such as the intensification of the U.S.-China tr...

​As Germany celebrates the Bauhaus Centennial in 2019, contemporary architects such as Ole Scheeren have reimagined German architecture, casting off stereotypes that German architecture is austere and utilitarian. Walter Gropius, the architect who founded the Bauhaus School in Weimar in 1919, adhered to the tenet that form follows function. In practice, that meant the style ...

​Global warming puts renewable energy high on the agendaThe heat is on: globally, 2018 is set to be the fourth-hottest on record. The only three hotter years were the three previous. Since modern-record keeping began (1880), 17 of the world’s 18 warmest years have been since 2001.With emissions rising, scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) argue ...

​Bridging the talent gap in the infrastructure and urban development industry (IU) is a global challenge. The World Economic Forum’s paper, “Shaping the Future of Construction: An Action Plan to Solve the Industry’s Talent Gap,” reports that the industry’s core around engineering and construction employs approximately 100 million people worldwide with an annual revenue of $1...

​When 1,600 people gathered at the tea dance held at the Kansas City Hyatt Regent hotel on Friday, July 17, 1981, they expected a joyful evening. They had no idea that the dance would end in tragedy, becoming one of the deadliest structural engineering failures in U.S. history. Spectators took in the festivities from the second-, third- and fourth-level walkways. At around 7...

​By 2025, the fire protection industry is estimated to be worth up to $116.51 billion. The driving force behind the rapid growth is the thriving U.S. economy which has been responsible for continued growth and investment in the construction industry. “For every new building, from a sports stadium to a luxury high-rise tower, a fire protection engineer is an absolute necessit...

​It’s an exciting time for engineers working in the U.S. electric power industry. A robust economy, a growing population, and pledges of government infrastructure spending are resulting in major new projects appearing across the country. Much of the current power Transmission and Distribution (T&D) system dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, which means there is a strong n...