North London Heat & Power Project recognises National Inclusion Week

This year, the North London Heat & Power Project (NLHPP) recognised National Inclusion Week between Monday 27 September – Friday 1 October.

Celebrated annually, National Inclusion Week promotes the power of acceptance in the face of discrimination. The event centres around a specific theme, with past themes including Each One, Reach One, to encourage people to connect with their peers.

The theme of 2021 was Unity, with the hashtag #unitedforinclusion. This theme resonates with the NLHPP, as the Project is made up of many different people and organisations working as One Team to deliver the programme.

NLHPP recognised this year’s Inclusion Week by highlighting several key inclusion spotlights. These focused on: Age, Mental Health & Disability and Neurodiversity. Team members from across the project contributed to these bursts of knowledge, and an internal National Inclusion Week newsletter was produced. A highlight of this was NLHPP Programme Director David Cullen and Apprentice Hakeem Badmus having an informal discussion on their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) experiences. Hakeem opened up about his experience as a more junior member of the team, while David reflected on his continuous learning experience of leading NLHPP.

The NLHPP Collaboration & Inclusion team also headed down to the EcoPark to engage with those working on site, learn how the Project can create a more inclusive culture, and to talk about the inclusion plan and activities already underway.

The project team also invited Louise Parry, Director of People and Organisational Development from Energy & Utility Skills to speak at a project team meeting on Thursday 30 September. Interviewed by EcoPark South Project Manager, Neil Murray, Louise discussed the EDI challenges of the sector and discussed what the Energy & Utility Skills network are doing to address the challenges. The discussion was insightful about under representation in the industry where Louise offered advice for the project on how to promote a more inclusive culture.