MSP meets with Minister on encouraging women into renewables
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Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin called for a meeting with Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Jamie Hepburn MSP to ask how to encourage more women and girls into careers within the renewables sector.
Ms Martin requested the meeting during her speech in the Scottish Parliament’s debate on International Women’s Day 2023, in which she said: “In the current energy and engineering sector, the gender pay gap is stubbornly wide. On the cusp of massive Scottish expansion of renewables, let us change that by targeting more girls to attract them into that sector now.
“There has been a 70 per cent increase in students of renewables technologies in Scotland, but only 28 per cent of them are women. I am keen to meet the Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, Jamie Hepburn, to discuss how we can improve that.”
The Minister welcomed the meeting at which he discussed the challenges Scottish Government has identified in recruiting and retaining women in roles within the renewables sector.
Mr Hepburn described the efforts to stimulate girls’ interest in STEM in schools, but that this has presented challenges. He proposed that more should be done through the Developing Young Workers programme, suggesting that employers can be better engaged and highlight positive female role models for girls to aspire to follow.
Ms Martin pointed out the difficult time she had in trying to find a female STEM apprentice in her constituency to meet with during Scottish Apprenticeship Week, and is keen to identify companies who are promoting and supporting young women in engineering.
The Minister also discussed that this issue is largely in the hands of the private sector, and so the Scottish Government must continue to lay the issue at their door and encourage further work in attracting women to renewables jobs.
Commenting, Ms Martin said: “It was great to meet with the Minister for Higher Education, Jamie Hepburn MSP and to discuss the issues and opportunities in relation to closing the gap in STEM roles, especially in the renewables sector.
"I was glad to hear his suggestion of introducing girls to renewables employers through the Developing Young Workers programme, and I will raise this idea with Turriff Academy’s DYW steering group of which I’ve recently become a member.
“Jobs within the energy sector can be high quality, high-paying jobs and in closing the broader gender pay gap it would be beneficial to encourage more women into renewables roles.
"Renewables are here to stay and they will take over our energy mix, and so there will be many new opportunities – it’s important that we stimulate interest in women and girls so that they can seize these opportunities.
"I will certainly be raising this as an issue with all companies involved in the development of Scotwind.”
