Women In Renewables | WRS · Worldwide Recruitment

As the renewables industry heads closer to achieving its goal of clean and secure energy, a core element required to propel us down this road is closing the gender gap. This means encouraging more women to take up leadership and technical roles across the sector.

But in a typically male-dominated landscape, we’re under no illusion of the challenges women face trying to be seen and heard in the same way as their male counterparts. And where there is a female presence, women are typically found in legal, planning, and communication positions.

But change is on the horizon, as the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates there’ll be 139 million global energy jobs by 2030.

Here, we take a closer look at how women are making waves in the industry, and share how WRS is getting involved.

Embracing opportunities

Back in January, Chloe Jordan from our Renewables Business Development team attended RenewableNI’s Women In Renewables online event.

After asking women what would make a networking event appeal to them, the session was centred around promoting female voices in the sector. The panel featured:

Ruth Forbes, Associate, Shoosmiths
Louise Cullen, Agriculture and Environment Correspondent, BBC NI
Tamasin Fraser, UK Director, ABO Wind
Niamh Kenny, Chair of RenewableNI Offshore Group and Project Director at North Channel Wind
Sara Tinsley, Chair of RenewableNI Planning Group and Planning and Environmental Consents Manager at Energia Renewables

Topics covered included imposter syndrome, how to encourage diversity, and barriers in the industry. There was plenty to get stuck into, and Chloe came away with great insights on how women are making a difference in renewables.

“The event highlighted to me the importance of diversity across our business, client, and contacts lists, as well as what can be achieved when a group of strong women come together”, Chloe commented.
“There was plenty of entrepreneurial spirit, motivation, and a keen focus on the companies involved, alongside the value of supporting and training diverse groups and minorities.
“Safe to say, it definitely felt like a huge step away from the boy’s club that is so heavily featured in the energy industry.”

Focusing on the people in our network

At WRS, people come first, and we’re currently overhauling and levelling up our internal equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging policies.

Part of this involves doubling down on our efforts to strengthen the female presence, not just in the renewables sector, but in our business too.

We’re already seeing a positive change in the number of female candidates across our international roles, plus a higher percentage of female applicants and CV submissions overall.

As we move forward, WRS will continue to find new ways to encourage women to join the industry, while striving for a more inclusive and diverse workforce.