The winds of change
We’re promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in the offshore wind sector with the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub.
Project summary
The Challenge
The offshore wind sector lacks diversity. This limits opportunities and disadvantages the sector by restricting the pool of talent engaged.
The Approach
Through the Supergen ORE Hub and other funding streams we aim to promote careers in offshore renewable energy to a diverse range of people.
The Outcome
Improving diversity and inclusion is a long-term challenge but our work is impacting at key stages in individuals’ lives and is being recognised.
Institutes and centres
Lead academics
Project funded by
Project Partners
Promoting career opportunities
The sector is using our research including through the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s (OWIC) best practice guide on diversity and inclusion.
The Challenge
Employment in the offshore wind industry is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years with a projection of over 100,000 employees in the sector by the end of the decade. Currently women make up only around 20% of the workforce and representation of ethnic minorities is also well below the national average. Through the offshore wind sector deal, the industry committed to increasing diversity in the sector but it faces challenges in attracting diverse talent into the sector and ensuring individuals remain in the sector and reach their full potential. While many organisations are working hard to increase diversity, there is little evidence of what approaches are effective and can be scaled up.
Less than 5% of senior roles in the offshore wind industry are taken by women
The full research team
Prof James Gilbert
Energy and Environment Director and Professor of Engineering, University of Hull / Co-Director, Supergen ORE Hub
Prof Deborah Greaves OBE
Director of the Supergen ORE Hub, Head of School Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (SECaM), University of Plymouth
Prof Briony McDonagh
Director of the Coast-R Network & Professor of Environmental Humanities, University of Hull
Dr Kate Smith
EEI Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Hull
Prof Joe Howe
Net-Zero Humber Academic Cluster Lead, Lincoln University
Dr Pooja Goddard
Loughborough University
The Approach
To understand the current status of diversity in the offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector (and more widely in engineering) and to gain insights into the approaches being tried to increase diversity, we undertook a scoping study. This identified a roadmap towards positive change. Read more in the Equality Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering report.
A key finding from this report was that actions to promote diversity and inclusion are often uncoordinated and short lived and that a more joined up approach would be more effective. We are therefore working with a wide range of partners to align activities and ensure mutual learning. This includes the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) Diversity group, charged with delivering targets set in the sector deal. The lessons learnt through this process are also being applied more widely through the IDRIC project working across industrial decarbonisation, which faces similar challenges in developing a diverse workforce.
In addition, the report identified the importance of addressing all stages of the ‘leaky pipeline’ of talent into the sector. We have therefore developed activities to promote engagement with the ORE sector for school age children and their parents/carers. One of which was publication of a new children’s adventure book to communicate offshore renewable energy, developed with Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub. We have also employed unconventional approaches such as the use of music/dance/video in the Turning the Tide project, to promote engagement in the offshore wind sector.
It is in all our best interests to promote diversity; eliminate barriers to participation; and create a culture in which equality of opportunity is a priority for allProf Deborah Greaves
Director of the Supergen ORE Hub, University of Plymouth
The Impact
The reach of the activities undertaken to promote greater EDI has been considerable. The results of this research are being recognised by the sector including through the Offshore Wind Industry Council’s (OWIC) best practice guide on diversity and inclusion.
Our evaluation of Turning the Tide shows that this kind of arts-based engagement is a good way of increasing knowledge about STEM careers and EDI issues in the offshore and renewables sectors, and that including stories of successful measures to improve EDI outcomes is an important part of raising positive awareness about these issues. Visitors to the project’s exhibition told us that using art to convey messages about STEM careers and subjects was very effective, at presenting both the challenges and inspirational opportunities for future generations to consider careers in STEM sectors.
Over 200 copies of the children’s book Gaia’s Energy Adventure! have been distributed either directly to families or via organisations using the books as gifts. In addition to this, copies of the book were shared with members of the public in the green zone at COP26, have been used at public engagement events, such as the Green Man Festival and 200 copies of the book have also been donated to 66 primary schools across the City of Plymouth. In addition, 30 copies were donated to every early-stage primary school in Orkney by Fred Olsen-related companies.
The next generation research partnership for offshore wind
Our EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy are shaping a resilient future through impactful research. Our commitment to best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion, our cross-cohort training and industry mentoring programme is helping to create the next generation of offshore wind leaders.
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