Hello, welcome to the programme. Now, only 16% of engineering undergraduates are female in this country, whereas three quarters of newly trained vets are women.

Clearly something interesting is going on here, and today we're asking what it might be.

Diversity has become an important word in business, the idea that we should promote employment opportunities for women, people of different colours, sexualities or disabilities and perhaps classes or backgrounds too.

HR departments are all over it, companies are being told to measure it and efforts are

being made to secure it. But there is an undercurrent of criticism, perhaps best exemplified

by the infamous Google memo that got its writer who questioned Google's diversity efforts sacked.

So this week, we're asking what is the business case for having a diverse workforce?

And I have three experts with me who know all about this topic.

I'm hoping for a variety of views.

My first guest is Jane Farrell, Group Chief Executive of Equality Works.

What is Equality Works, Jane?

Equality Works is a specialist consultancy and training company and we work with clients

to help them realise the business benefits of diversity and inclusion.

So we've been going for about 25 years now.

Now give me an example.

I think it's very helpful for people to have concrete examples.

Give me an example of, if you like, a problem and a solution in this.

Somewhere you might have gone in, you don't have to name it come.

You've gone in and you've seen something wasn't right and you've put it right.

Okay, so two months ago I was in with an executive board of a large engineering company and I said to them, forget for a moment equality, diversity and inclusion.

Tell me what your most pressing business issue is and what they said was getting their hands on the best engineers from across the world.

So that's where our work is.

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