WiRES - Women in Renewable Energy Scotland
Working to support women’s participation in the renewable energy sector
WiREScotland is an active network designed for women who work in Scotland’s renewable energy industry. With over 300 members, it’s a growing group which supports women to progress in the industry. WiRES also encourages them to locate something they have inside them – which they might not even know is there.
Women are “significantly under-represented” in the industry with just 17%, which is exactly why the group came to be. Women in Renewable Energy Scotland held their launch event on November 27, 2013, at the fabulous Glasgow Science Centre. Co-founder Laura Sarkis explained the reason for starting the group:
“It basically all started when a couple of friends who worked in renewables met up, drank wine and came up with a lot of good ideas.”
Time passed and these ideas, which were left undocumented, became a little blurry…thanks also to the consumption of wine. However, it was soon decided to do something with these meaningful thoughts. A strategy was required for something to be accomplished.
Laura, currently working as a Contracts Advisor for Wood Group, explained to the audience that she had attended many offshore and marine conferences at the time. Yes, of course she noticed that there were mostly men present with women in the minority, but she was still able to do a reasonable job. Yet that fact was something that remained with her.
Scotland has several targets which are to be met by 2020, and it is both men and women who are needed to work to meet these. Perhaps the most ambitious of these is for Scotland to fully produce its yearly electricity consumption from only renewable energy.
Close the Gap, an organisation which focuses on addressing the issue of closing the pay gap between females and males, develops and coordinates the activities of WiRES.
Through its programme of activities, WiRES hopes to continue to increase the diversity of the sector.
Women in Renewable Energy Scotland promotes skills events and site visits, as well as a mentoring programme which will start in the New Year.
To get involved why not visit their brand new website: http://www.wirescotland.com/content/get-involved-individual/