We discussed workforce diversity with GWEC, ORE Catapult, Equinor, Innogy, Orsted, Scottish Power and RenewableUK at this year's Global Offshore Wind 2019. For offshore wind to grow at scale on a global level, it is vital that the sector’s workforce can draw from a large and diverse talent pool. As part of the sector deal, gender diversity targets have been set and initiatives are in place to encourage females into STEM education and careers. But the sector deal also acknowledges that diversity needs to go beyond gender, and work is underway to establish appropriate targets for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity people (BAME). This will be a complex task, partly because of difficulties around measurement but the sector deal has brought about the resource and processes to work through these issues. As well as increasing diversity, there is a heightened focus on training and upskilling for offshore wind careers, particularly in coastal areas that are host to offshore wind projects or supporting services. In the UK, it is these very communities that have most keenly felt the decline of traditional industries such as fisheries and ship-building.
Organisations throughout the supply chain are investing considerable resource in education, training and recruitment – including apprenticeship schemes, partnerships with education providers and bespoke training facilities such as the Offshore Wind Skills Centre in East Anglia.
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