The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) have announced the call for applications for the second edition of their joint Women in Wind Global Leadership Programme.
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.
According to a new report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), women make up only 21% of the global wind industry, which is below the share of women in the global renewables sector as well as the oil and gas sector.
In addition, just 8% of senior management roles were found to be held by women, highlighting the lack of gender equity in the sector.
GWEC policy and operations director Joyce Lee said: “As the wind energy sector takes a leading role in the energy transition, gender equality should be at the top of our sector’s priority list, in order to attract the talent and skills needed to scale up wind power globally.
“The results of the IRENA report show that we still have a long way to go.
“Nonetheless, we are confident that the Women in Wind initiative can work to empower more women in the industry, drive the next generation of energy leaders and inspire companies to build a more sustainable and equitable wind energy industry.”
GWNET executive director and founding member Christine Lins said: “In 2019, we were thrilled by the high interest for the inaugural year of the Women in Wind programme, and inspired by the motivation of the mentors and participants alike to accelerate both the energy transition and gender equality in their respective fields.
“In 2020, we look forward to working with GWEC again to scale-up the programme even further, doubling the number of participants in order to urgently address the gender equality deficit that exists in the wind sector.”
In 2020, the programme will welcome 12-15 participants across all disciplines of the sector, from or based in emerging wind markets, including Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Egypt.