Case Study: Gulam Bakawala

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Name: Gulam Bakawala
Job Title: Deputy Team Leader for Education Department & Bus & Coach Programmes Manager & Lecturer
Employer’s name: S&B Automotive Academy, Bristol

Tell us about your automotive career and what it was like when you first started.

Well I left school without the best results. This was around 1990. In Asian culture there’s a strong pressure to do well, especially education-wise. High aspirations for careers and to get a good education. In those day it was focused on IT and business. So all my friends and everyone around me went down that path.

I knew I wasn’t interested in those things but enjoyed using my hands. I enrolled in a foundation course in engineering at college which turned out to be an opportunity to find myself.

Prior to this time I’d been surrounded by people like me, all Asian or Muslim people. At school, at mosque and in social settings. Career-choice wise they all went in one direction. I went in another direction.

This is when I met different people from different backgrounds. I was introduced to different cultures, race and people which helped me find who I was. I came out of my shell and the experience helped me learn how I can be part of society.

I wanted to be an engineer or mechanic and an opportunity to get an apprenticeship in the bus industry came along but because of my exam results I had quite a few interviews before securing the position I really wanted with the Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company, which is now Stagecoach West. This is where I started my engineering life.

Like most apprentices I was very shy. There were no other Asians there. There was only one other person of colour who was the cleaner. This is where I started learning about equality and diversity and how people are treated differently because of the colour of their skin.

The first and second year I was quiet and I just did what I was told. As I started to get more experience I also learned more about myself. I began getting asked to go out to the pub with work colleagues. Because I don’t drink, because it’s against my religion, I learned how to mix socially without drinking and to be comfortable. Trying to fit into those environments prompted questions about why I didn’t drink. Most people understand when I’d explain but some still tried to convince me to have a drink by saying things like ‘don’t worry, nobody is watching’.

It was a really good 4 year apprenticeship, part of which was studying in Tilehill, Coventry. I met a lot of amazing people, some good and some not-so-good but they all helped me grow.

After that I was asked to move to another depot, which was a good opportunity. It was in Stroud which was very rural. At that time very few Asians lived in Stroud. So I threw myself into an environment where there were very few Asian people and Muslims, But looking back, they learned from me and I learned from them.

One of the things we did when we’d repaired a bus was to road-test it with a sign in the window which read ‘Out of Service’. When I drove them I’d get funny looks because of the sign but then also because I’m Asian.

In a small depot everyone sat around and had tea-break at the same time. Even during Ramadan I would sit with them rather than segregating myself. I’d get questions about why I wasn’t eating or drinking but it was an opportunity for me to explain why I fast and what it means. Over time I gained respect and even my old foreman, who was very old-school once asked a rep to respect my religion by not offering me alcohol…..he took it instead!

He even started asking me when Ramadan was so that he could sort shift patterns out. I reflect back on these things and these are some of the things that’s shaped who I am.

What about your next steps?

I moved to Gloucester. Then I was asked to go back to back to Stroud but to run the whole depot. I’d climbed the ranks. I’d gone from being an apprentice to running the whole depot. The things that helped my progression were my strong work ethic, and my skills and experience. However I knew I didn’t want to look at the back end of a bus forever!

During this time I was a representative for Unite the union. I’d handled a few unique situations in the South West for the union in what used to be called a ‘race relations’ role. I was also a shop steward. I left the bus industry to move to Unite to do a project management and campaigns management role. I progressed to senior campaigns manager really quickly. Then my Dad became very ill and because of this and some work-related stuff I decided to leave and become his primary carer.

The day after my Dad passed away I was interviewed for a role at Barnardo’s, the children’s charity, which was very difficult. I didn’t tell them until after the interview. They were really shocked but I hadn’t wanted that to influence their decision. The role at Barnardo’s was setting up and running mobile training and they wanted someone with project management skills, mechanical knowledge and skills as well as teaching experience.

So I set everything up, set up the classrooms, resourced the engines etc and got it all up and running in 6 months. As a team of three people we toured places like Salisbury, Tewksbury and Nottingham. It was so successful that it went national and then we created static pods in shipping containers which would be located at schools and we would go around to different classes during the week. I was even interviewed by Radio 4. The actor Andrew Lincoln, who plays the lead role in Walking Dead was the patron of that project and when I met him he was so proud of the work we’d done. He was very humble and made it clear that everyone who worked on the project were the real heroes. He was inspirational.

So what was next for you?

After that I moved to an FE college in Herefordshire. Again, not a very diverse area of the country Mainly white people. I was asked to do a micro lesson on something different which I decided to do on Islam and my religion. It was really popular. So much so that the word spread and it ended up growing from a handful of people to 270 students and 20 lecturers in the main lecture theatre with an hour long Q&A session at the end. Even after that people would stop me and ask me questions. For me it was another opportunity to educate about culture and religion.

I then got head-hunted by S&B Automotive and have been here since 2014. I love educating. Not only do I cover mechanical skills but soft skills as well and I love teaching

I progressed to becoming the programme manager and now deputy for the education department and still love teaching and educating

I recall one of my student who was a mature student from Hull. He was ex-military and had a fixed mind set of what he thought about Muslims. For him, his definition of English is someone who is white. His view was one-sided and based a lot on what he’d read or seen in the media – so Muslims all are terrorists or paedophiles.

When he first met me there was clearly a barrier.

He didn’t hang out with the other students because of the age difference and started asking me if he could stay in the classroom on breaks. Now I use my classroom to pray during breaks so I explained he could sit in but that I’d be praying. So I’d pray and he’d be sat in the classroom and this happened on a regular basis. One day he asked me why I pray. Was it something I did because I had to? So I explained in a way that I thought he’d understand and to try and get him to see me as an individual. He said I’d helped him understand.

The most important tool we have is education. If we educate people then they have a choice how they think and act.

You’re clearly passionate about education. It’s a theme throughout your story.

Peoples’ views can be ingrained. Education is a way of broadening peoples’ mind set. I went on an Equality & Diversity course whilst I was at Barnardo’s. I went with one of my colleagues who I also considered a friend. I was the only Asian friend he had. We had to do some role play as part of the course, during which he said ‘you know where you’re from’. There was a clear undertone. So to lighten the situation I said ‘What, Gloucester?’ I was upset and he knew it. Four days later he called me because he knew he’d upset me. He tried to tell me that I’d misunderstood. Then he tried to say he didn’t mean what he said. I was upset that his mind was so closed. I’m not saying he’s a racist but deep down he thought there was a difference between us. So I had to ask him what he thought was the difference between us other than the colour of my skin. I had to tell him that I don’t treat him differently because of the colour of his skin. I thought he’d seen us as the same but from that comment and that point it was clear to both of us that he saw us as different. It did open up conversations for us

Sounds like you’ve had a really interesting and fulfilling career. Have you experienced any barriers to your progression?

Yes and no. If I feel there’s a glass ceiling I’ll try and smash it if that’s what I want to do. When I worked for Unite I did some good work building relationships and trust within the Muslim community. This made my name and success well recognised within Unite. The head people knew my name and I had lots of recognition and congratulations. It helped me get things done and I felt like I was doing a great job. However one of my colleagues and good friend made the point to me that it wasn’t only my skills and ability that had got me this recognition but it was because I was from an ethnic minority background and that was ticking a box for the union. I’m not into playing politics. I understand it but don’t agree with it. There are certain things in politics that go against my religion. In the end I was asked to do something which I didn’t agree with so it made my decision to leave easier.

Who has supported your career aspirations and progression?

My wife and my daughter are very supportive. My wife has always supported my decisions and choices. My family are traditional. Sadly both of my parents have passed away but like most Asian families, they always had high expectation of me.

There have been negative things in my life that have turned into positives. My school life experience was with Asian people; in class, at break, after school. My whole immediate environment was with other Asian people even though the wider community was mainly white. But when I chose a different career path from my Asian friends I separated myself from those friendship groups. I was the odd one out. Nobody wanted to sit with me or be my partner on projects. The last 2 years of school was not a good experience and my exam results are the consequence of that school environment.

When I got my exam results I was definitely feeling the pressure of my family’s expectations. My older brothers and mum were expressing disappointment. My Dad, who was generally a very quiet man, pulled me to one side. He told me to go and get some paper and pen and to start practising my signature because he thought the way I was going I would only be able to sign on. I was hurt beyond anything anyone else had said. That was 35 years ago now and even though he’s no longer with us, it’s still powerful. I look back and that moment because it shaped me and gave me the determination to go beyond other peoples’ expectations of me.

It helped shape who I am today and that drives me to help my students believe in their own potential. I have high expectations of them and I know they can do better and so I push them and support to achieve their potential. Some of my students have never had positive role model in their life. I have students who have parents who aren’t in their life or simply don’t’ care. I push them to achieve and hold them to account. I expect more from them because I see their potential.

I’ve had people in my life to help me develop and expand my wings because they believed in me.

The UK of 2021 is very diverse but it’s not everywhere and in every sector. It will be future generations that benefit from what we’re doing now around EDI. One day it will be the norm but we need to be the ones to crack it open.

Have there been any other key moments in your life that have helped shape who you are?

When I was working in Cheltenham, where everyone around me white and male. At a time before mobile phones you would get calls from other depots. One time when someone from another depot phoned and asked for me, the person who answered the phone was the storeman. Now there’s workshop banter that everyone accepts but then there’s language that isn’t acceptable. When the storeman announced there was call for me over the loud-speaker system, he did so in a heavy Indian accent. Then when I’d finished on the phone, used the same accent to ask me if it was my friend calling me. I would have walked away from that moment of everyday racism but my mentor at the time happened to be walking past and prompted me to address it, which I did.

That storeman apologised for a week. Racism is out there every day in everyone. Even Asian people are racist. Black people are racist. Everyone is. But what we need to do is about education, understanding and seeing people as individuals.

My father was from India and my mother from Pakistan and I was born in Gloucester, England. I have open conversations with my students about race. One of the things I do is to tell them my background and then I ask them: ‘Am I English?’. There’s no right or wrong answer. It’s a conversation. I have some Black students born in England who don’t consider themselves English because they’re not white.

When I visited Pakistan with my Mum, they didn’t consider me to Pakistani. They considered me to be English When I visited India with my Dad, they didn’t consider me to be Indian. They considered me to be English.

But if I’m to be put in a box, I’m a Muslim. Anywhere I go in the world I’m considered to be Muslim.

But it should be about what a person can bring, not what colour their skin is.

What personal insight do you want to share to enable other people to understand what it’s like for you working in the automotive industry?

Reflect on your personal behaviour and the impact that has on others.

When 9/11 happened there was a shift. It became more than the colour of someone’s skin. Islamophobia was everywhere. I remember going into the depot after 9/11. It wasn’t about being Indian, Pakistani, or the colour of your skin it was about being Muslim. In Gloucester there were very few Asian bus drivers, public service drivers. After 9/11 Asian drivers would pull up at a bus top and passengers wouldn’t get on. To solve that problem the bus company changed the drivers’ routes and put them on more rural routes. I went to a meeting where it was all addressed. The company put business first which had a negative impacted on the drivers. So because I was the Equalities advisor I got the lead Asian driver and the senior leaders and worked with them all to make some changes. We put the drivers back on normal routes, introduced surveys at the bus stops, instigated ‘next stop’ where the person taking the survey at the bus stop could indicate to the driver not to stop but to move on to the next bus stop and we created some educational leaflets. We slowly changed peoples’ mind-sets.

Then it became normal.

What more could the automotive sector needs to do to encourage more people from more diverse backgrounds to consider

It’s about opportunity. Everyone will see an opportunity differently but we have to get these opportunities to work in the sector in front of the right communities. Sometimes in life there’s an element of luck and everyone’s pathway is different but the IMI can influence at different levels. Raising awareness and presenting opportunities at different levels and then encouraging people to the point that they take action and then guide them through that process.

So for example the sector is quickly moving towards electrification and more sustainable ways of replacing fossil fuels and so we need to highlight the future of the sector and connect it to the sciences. We need to get into school students before they make their GCSE choices and paint a picture of the sector as being part of the future and a good progression opportunity.

At university graduate level we should look at where young Black and Asian students lean towards in their education and connect that to the automotive sector. The IMI could be the central hub, working with business and sub-sectors and linking them with a pool of people with the right skills. The people who would normally apply for these roles will do that anyway. We need to have a more diverse pool of people applying for roles and so increase the number of Black and Asian people applying for these roles, for example. We shouldn’t give them any special advantages, so they don’t get an inside track, and then it’s up to them to apply but we need to get the opportunity in front of them.

The IMI could introduce things like networking, mentoring and reverse mentoring.

The IMI can create those connections and networks because they have members at every level, including CEO level.

A way of attracting people who are already working in other industries is to use role models and clearly show how someone can progress. So what’s the potential career pathway and how do you get there. Show how a career in our industry can meet peoples’ hopes and aspirations. Give people hope that a career in automotive is better than their alternatives.