Tuesday 2 April 2019
Winds of change: New global initiative to empower women
A new global programme aimed at advancing women’s careers in the wind energy industry through training and mentoring has been launched.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) have joined forces to launch the Women in Wind Global Leadership Programme to help accelerate the careers of women in the sector.
The renewables industry is male-dominated, with women making up only 22% of the workforce, according to a recent report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The initiative will create a network of mentors among leading women in the wind industry, a comprehensive education programme incorporating the latest technology developments and best practices from the sector, a platform to assist companies identify talent and reach new gender equality benchmarks as well as a dedicated programme of training and mentoring women.
In its inaugural year, the programme will welcome eight to 10 participants from or based in the emerging markets for wind: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam.
Participants are selected from a call for applications and nominations by sponsors, which closes on 15th April 2019 and successful applicants will be matched with a dedicated mentor and take part in a programme from May 2019 to January 2020.
Joyce Lee, Policy and Operations Director at GWEC said: “Gender diversity drives innovation, brings valuable perspectives to socio-economic development and provides a richer pool of talent for fast growing industries such as wind.
“I hope that this programme will not only support women that are currently working in wind and drive their career ambitions but also inspire many more to join them.”
The UK Government recently committed to ensure 33% of the offshore wind workforce consists of women by 2030.
