PEOPLE ARE THE HEART OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION

PEOPLE ARE THE HEART OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION

RenewableUK speaks to one of the very deserving winners of its inaugural Global Offshore Wind Awards – Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult – about the organisation’s ethos.

When we speak about energy transition, our minds tend to immediately jump to the engineering and technical advancements involved.

At the heart of this transition though are the people who will make it happen. Only by giving people the pathways needed for them to find their place in the renewable energy sector can we really make the type of impact that we need. It is people who will make the energy transition happen and who will decide the shape and form that transition takes.

In the UK, we are blessed to already have a proud heritage of energy skills built up through decades of oil and gas production. This clearly gives us a strong foundation in terms of building a large skilled workforce capable of delivering the scale of renewable energy generation we need to see over the coming years. If we are to make the most of this foundation, then it is vital that we find new and creative pathways for transition between energy sectors.

That’s why we at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult are working with stakeholders across our sector to support ways of doing this. A recent survey of companies involved in the offshore wind supply chain that we carried out identified a need to attract more skilled people at all levels into the sector to realise the tremendous pipeline of ambition in the UK. We know that many of these are set to be those transitioning across from oil and gas in the years to come.

It is equally vital that we do all we can to make the offshore renewable energy sector fully reflective of the wider society it serves, so that we can make sure we optimise the use of the diverse talent that exists, regardless of background. Without doing this, we are unlikely to capitalise on the skills and resources we need to ensure we stay at the heart of innovative thinking in our sector.

That’s why we’re also playing an active role in the wider efforts being taken by the industry in relation to equality, diversity, and inclusion. This includes the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s commitment to increase the representation of women in the workforce to a third by 2030.

In addition to supporting these wider efforts, we know that we also have a responsibility to lead by example and to do all we can to help foster an environment where people from all backgrounds, and with differing lived experiences, recognise the value they bring. We do this by striving for a culture where people can bring their whole selves to work, and to the work they do. To do this, we have focused on implementing a number of strategic themes for inclusion and diversity across our organisation.

For example, our inclusion and diversity strategy is centred around core themes which include engaging, equipping and empowering our people. Part of our engagement has been growing internal networks and groups with focus on specific protected characteristics. Our groups to date include our Young Professionals Network, Women @ Catapult, Interfaith Group, LGBTQ+ Allies, Race Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage Group, and Health & Wellbeing Network.

As a result, in recent years we’ve seen increasing openness around inclusion and diversity topics with positive signs of engagement across our organisation, and most importantly, employees report feeling that our activities are genuine. We’ve worked to communicate regularly, including through targeted campaigns, about key inclusion and diversity topics, and have built partnerships with external diversity organisations like Inclusive Employers, the Association of BME engineers (AFBE), and Stonewall.

We’re delighted that this work has been recognised externally, such as at RenewableUK’s Global Offshore Wind Awards, where we received the Equality and Inclusivity Award for demonstrating our strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

We’ve also been recognised as one of the Best Workplaces for Women in the UK and are proud of our Gold Investors in People and Silver Investors in Young People accreditations.

These awards mean a lot to the team and myself, and they showcase our culture to our wider community, as well as acting as an exemplar within our sector. What brings us even more satisfaction though, is being part of the wider changes that are happening the industry. Over the next few years, offshore renewable energy is set to rapidly expand its already significant footprint on our society. If we all play our part, we can make it a place for everyone.

Pamela Nichol-Littlejohn DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE