Offshore Wind Industry Council updates best practice guide on diversity

The new guide states that although recognition of the importance of gender and ethnic diversity has risen in the sector, the pace of change needs to increase to meet the objectives and targets we have set ourselves as an industry so that companies are more representative of society as a whole.

The industry has committed to ensuring that at least 33% of its workforce are women by 2030 (up from 18% in 2020) with a stretch target of 40%. We are also aiming for at least 9% BAME staff by the end of the decade (up from 5% currently) with an ambition to reach 12%. OWIC has set up a Diversity Working Group of industry experts to help to achieve this.

Specific measures recommended in the guide include removing bias from job descriptions and promotional material to ensure they are fully representative of candidates from all backgrounds. Companies are also being urged to hold open days for secondary school pupils and students in higher education, as well as providing CV and interview training and offering internships, grants and bursaries for target groups.

Companies are being advised to lead by example by ensuring that the make-up of their senior management team reflects the diverse nature of our society. Senior staff can act as mentors to new recruits, providing leadership training. Upcoming professionals can be encouraged to join Shadow Boards like the one set up by RenewableUK for future industry leaders, feeding fresh ideas into the main Board. The guide includes a wealth of case studies highlighting the ways in which many firms in the sector are implementing such measures. 

OWIC’s People & Skills Ethnicity Champion Ranjit Mene from Green Tech Investment Partners said: “The update of the Best Practice Guide is designed to ensure that all companies active in the offshore wind industry in the UK are able to implement practical and proven steps to increase the diversity of their workforce in order to better represent the country’s population. It’s packed full of useful hints and tips as well as examples of what some organisations have already started doing to address this issue.  Not only will this lead to a fairer outcome for people generally but it will also drive better performance – so a win-win for everyone concerned!”

OWIC’s Co-Chair Danielle Lane, Vattenfall’s UK Country Manager, said: “The offshore wind sector needs diversity to thrive. As an industry we have grown rapidly and reduced costs by constantly innovating. Our continued success relies on people from different backgrounds with a variety of experiences and outlooks bringing strength to challenge the status quo. This updated guide is a valuable tool to help companies to implement practical steps to make sure that the industry is fair and open to all”.

RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive Melanie Onn, who leads OWIC’S work on People and Skills, said: “For offshore wind to grow at the pace and scale we need, all companies in the sector need to ensure they’re taking effective action to increase diversity within their workforce, and that starts by pro-actively recruiting from parts of the community which are traditionally under-represented in our industry. Firms which don’t understand the importance of this will lose out, because diversity across age, gender, ethnic background, sexuality, socio-economic and abilities provides the greatest wealth of talent and innovation, ensuring a vibrant mix of skills and creativity thanks to those differing experiences”.

The Offshore Wind Industry Council’s Best Practice Guide on Diversity and Inclusion is available here.