THE latest Girls in Energy conference was held on Friday, 29 November, to give those aged between 14-17 a chance to engage with STEM subjects.
It is hoped that by having them engage with subjects like science, technology, engineering and maths, they will then be inclined to consider a career in the global energy sector as it works towards net zero.
The conference was attended by 240 girls from 17 schools across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and the young women were tasked with finding fresh and innovative solutions to issues they identified as important to their local area.
Girls in Energy is a one-year engineering course for this age group, delivered by North East Scotland College (NESCol) and sponsored by Shell UK.
Around 50 energy industry mentors, including Shell volunteers, supported the girls in brainstorming innovative ideas – five teams pitched solutions to a “Dragon’s Den” panel.
The winning team, Girls for Change, proposed tackling fuel poverty by converting kinetic energy from footsteps into power for energy packs.
Simon Roddy, senior vice president upstream at Shell UK, said: “Girls in Energy plays an important role in helping Shell UK to help close the current skills gap and meet our commitment to helping 15,000 people into jobs with a focus on the energy transition by 2035.
“Through partnerships with NESCol and Fife College, programmes like Girls in Energy provide a valuable insight into the vital role energy plays in our lives, both the oil and gas the country needs today and as the UK’s energy system transitions.
“We hope the experience will encourage more young women to choose this exciting career path. As our future workforce, I am always inspired by the ideas and solutions the teams come up with.”
In addition to initiatives like Girls in Energy, Shell UK is working with the college on three Energy Transition Skills Hubs. These hubs provide teaching space and equipment for demonstrating the latest energy technologies.
Duncan Abernethy, NESCol’s director of business development, said: “We are extremely proud of the Girls in Energy initiative and its growing impact, underpinned by our partnership with Shell UK to develop the knowledge and skills which will help solve our future energy challenges.
“The annual conference is the perfect opportunity to highlight the value of the initiative to the participants and to celebrate their involvement.”
The Girls in Energy programme was launched in 2010. More than 1,600 students have completed the course, and many have pursued careers in the energy sector or chosen a path related to STEM.
It runs during the academic year and provides young women with hands-on engineering experience while working towards an SQA National 5 qualification in Skills for Work—Energy.
Lisa Mowat, a former Girls in Energy participant and now a senior integrity support engineer at Aker Solutions, inspired the students with a presentation on her career path.
Lisa said: “Girls in Energy led me directly to a career in inspection and integrity management, an option I didn’t know existed as a teenager.
“The most beneficial part of Girls in Energy was visiting different companies and power stations and seeing what they all do.
“It’s so important to get experience and to learn what roles are out there – there are thousands of different roles you can do.”
Girls in Energy has opened up its recruitment for next year, and more information can be found at:
Girls in Energy | About Shell UK and Girls in Energy – North East Scotland College (nescol.ac.uk)
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