NEBOSH and L’Oréal join forces to offer international women’s health and safety bursary

Tuesday, 24 January 2023

NEBOSH, the National Examination Board for Occupational Safety and Health, has partnered with global beauty brand L’Oréal to encourage and enable greater diversity within the health and safety profession.

The ‘NEBOSH L’Oréal International Bursary: Enabling women in health and safety’ has been created to offer learning opportunities for women who want to enter or progress within the profession. Five women, based internationally, will be chosen to receive paid-for study and assessment fees for the NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.

Women are underrepresented within the profession; various research indicates that they represent 18-27% of people working in the health and safety industry. This underrepresentation permeates to women worker’s health and safety; for example 29% feel inadequately catered for by personal protective equipment (PPE) that’s designed to protect them at work.

NEBOSH’s most popular qualifications are its National and International General Certificates. Whilst the National version has seen a more than 7% increase in women learner representation over the past ten years, the percentage of women taking the International version has remained static. The NEBOSH L’Oréal Bursary aims to kick-start an upward trend; increasing opportunities and awareness for international women who want to develop their skills and careers.

Dee Arp, NEBOSH Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Bursary judging panel, says: “Diversity is so important; it encourages creativity and positive change within our practices – it also ensures the different people we protect in the workplace are represented in HSE strategies and programmes. That’s why I’m excited to be part of this Bursary, selecting and supporting international women to join our wonderful profession.”

Malika Sifouane, Corporate Health & Safety Manager at L’Oréal , says: "Health & Safety has a deep impact on our daily lives. The future of Health & Safety will be through collaboration, empathy and teamwork. I believe Women have much to contribute, through equity, diversity and inclusion, in this new world. It’s an honor for me to be part of this Bursary!”

Applications for the ‘NEBOSH L’Oréal International Bursary: Enabling women in health and safety’ are open from 24 January to 22 February 2023. Applicants will be asked to submit a short video which demonstrates why they aspire to work within the profession and how they feel their studies will benefit their professional development. Bursary recipients will be chosen by a judging panel of five women who work in the profession. For more information about the bursary and the application process, and to submit an application, please visit: www.nebosh.org.uk/igcbursary


Sources:
Zippia - Occupational Health And Safety Specialist Demographics And Statistics In The US
https://www.zippia.com/occupational-health-and-safety-specialist-jobs/demographics/

BCSP and ASSE – 2018 SH&E Industry Salary Survey
https://www.assp.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/bcsp-asse_2018_salary_findings.pdf

Prospect - Women workers highlight problems with ill-fitting protective equipment
https://prospect.org.uk/news/women-workers-highlight-problems-with-ill-fitting-protective-equipment

 

About L’Oréal
For over 110 years, L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 35 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L’Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality.

With 85,400 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2021 the Group generated sales amounting to 32.28 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 3,000 tech professionals, L’Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse.

More information on https://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom