At Jacobs, we live by four core values that drive our success: We do things right. We challenge the accepted. We aim higher.

We live inclusion. We live Inclusion means being accountable and backing up what we say with tangible, measurable actions to improve equity and equality. It means recognising that “inclusion” is a verb that is active and constant, not a noun that is passive, or a box that is checked. It means being transparent and clear, putting steps behind our statements, articulating our commitments, and identifying and delivering on initiatives that drive meaningful and measurable change to our company and the communities we serve. At Jacobs, we call our approach to Inclusion & Diversity, TogetherBeyond℠.

We make and deliver bold commitments. While industry benchmarks for supplier diversity currently averaging around 7.2% of total spend, in fiscal 2023 we spent $2.18 billion on diverse, minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses, representing approximately 34.35% of our total supply chain spend. We continue to work toward our five-year target of investing $10 million by mid-2025 to support targeted charitable donations, further STEAM outreach efforts to historically underrepresented groups, increase our support of diverse suppliers, and strengthen our commitment to developing and hiring the best diverse talent. In fiscal 2023, we invested approximately $1.7 million toward this commitment. We’re supporting the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation’s mission to graduate 100 disadvantaged Black Britons through U.K. universities in the next decade. And, we’re working with 20/20 Levels to help racially underrepresented people to access career and business development opportunities.

In 2023, we introduced ethnicity goals specifically for the UK and conducted a robust review of our programming to identify opportunities to accelerate progress. Completing the Maturity Matrix formed an essential part of this process, allowing us to really measure ourselves against externally set and highly respected standards of best practice. We strengthened inclusion content across our leadership and management training and set goals for completion to drive up active engagement. We amplified inclusion nudges and checkpoints across our people processes and leveraged targeted initiatives where needed, including a new Black LeadHERship programme and sponsorship initiative.

While our commitments are driven from the top, our Culture of Caring℠ is fundamental to our success. We are proud to have eight employee networks, including three specifically focused on ethnicity and culture. These three networks have over 10,000 members and delivered more than 170 events last year. Our employee networks and other internal communities help to bring our culture to life and positively impact engagement and retention.

We are incredibly proud to be an Ethnicity Awards Top 10 Outstanding Employer and will continue to aim higher and hold ourselves to account to drive meaningful change.