The Global Wind Energy Council is partnering with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition to launch the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program.
The initiative is designed to accelerate the careers of women in the wind industry, support their pathway to leadership positions and foster a global network of mentorship, knowledge-sharing and empowerment.
GWEC said the renewables industry continues to be male dominated, with females making up only 22% of the workforce, citing a recent IRENA report.
The partners call on other stakeholders in the renewables industry to recognise the importance of gender diversity in the fight against climate change and the promotion of sustainable development.
The Women in Wind program will create dedicated training and mentoring for women in the wind industry, a network of mentors among leading women in the sector and education programme.
It will also set up a platform to assist leading companies in the sector in identifying talent and reaching new gender equality benchmarks, allowing them to fully leverage their human resources.
A network of alumni will also be established who can serve as mentors for the future generation of women entering the industry over the next decade.
GWEC policy and operations director Joyce Lee said: “We are delighted to launch this initiative with GWNET. 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 program will not only support women that are currently working in wind and drive their career ambitions, but also inspire many more to join them.”
GWNET executive director and founder member Christine Lins said: “The Women in Wind Global Leadership Program is open for women working in the wind industry in emerging wind markets and aims to empower them in order to advance their careers and increase women representation at managerial and decision-making levels.
“A more gender-balanced energy sector will foster a quicker and more inclusive energy transition towards renewable energy.”