How Ørsted and diversity company are trying to close the clean energy skills gap

UK firm STEM Returners puts back-to-work employees into renewable energy roles

Danish energy company Ørsted is trying to tackle an emerging green energy skills gap by further developing its collaboration with diversity and inclusion organisation STEM Returners.

UK-based STEM Returners provides routes back to employment for people who have taken a career break – a category that heavily leans towards women who leave work to have children.

After a successful pilot programme in 2021, STEM Returners will provide a new programme at Ørsted's site in London, where returning workers will help on projects such as assessing geophysical and geoscientific data from offshore wind farm sites and export cable routes.

Those workers will also receive coaching and mentoring to help reintegrate back into the industry.

Initiatives such as this are needed: analysts at PwC have warned of a green energy skills gap of around 200,000 workers that must be addressed if the UK is to deliver on long term energy security and meet its energy transition targets.

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Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, said the number of green energy roles “is growing across the sector and there is a hidden workforce that can help fill those roles but are often overlooked”.

“People who have a had a career break face an uphill battle to return to the industry – there is a misconception that a gap on you CV leads to a deterioration of skills but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Many returners keep themselves updated with the developments from their industry and have developed transferable skills that can benefit their employers.

The initial STEM Returners programme with Ørsted in 2021 saw geologist Katie Ireland return to the sector after a five-year career break.

Having made the decision to leave her previous job to focus on raising her children, she wanted to return to a role she loved once the children were older – but this, she says, wasn’t easy.

Ireland said that instead of recognising that her time out had made her a more rounded geoscientist, the career break penalty meant she faced rejection when trying to re-enter the industry.

“My five-year career break had a major impact on how I viewed myself and ultimately my confidence.

“My confidence was at an all-time low, my memory and ability to retain information was poor and this didn’t come across well. It was hard to explain to others and so difficult for them to empathise.

“I came across the STEM Returners role with Ørsted and thought the term ‘STEM Returner’ perfectly described what I was trying to do.”

Since completing the returner programme, Ireland has been involved in several successful projects for Ørsted, including leading the ground modelling on several Taiwanese wind farm sites.

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She won the Engineering Returner of the Year category at the Engineering Talent Awards 2022, supported by Royal Academy of Engineering.

Ireland said the opportunity at Ørsted “has changed my career in so many ways”.

“Not only has it allowed me to return to work after a career break, but it gave me the chance to transition from oil and gas to the renewables sector.

“This has grown my confidence in applying my previous experience as well as allowing me to develop new wind energy specific skillsets. I am amazed at the progress I have made after taking part in the programme and am now looking forward to developing my technical skills further while helping others make the same journey."

Listen to our podcast with Katie Jackson as she talks diversity and inclusion