MADRID, 11 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Iberdrola has created and led different initiatives and alliances that facilitate the integration of women in STEM positions (careers that have to do with science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the countries in which it is present, the company reported. .
Specifically, the energy company develops these initiatives in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, among other countries, establishing strategic alliances, supporting and giving visibility to other institutions committed to the inclusion of women.
The energy sector has historically been a field dominated by men in all professional profiles and qualification levels. As a consequence, and despite representing 48% of the global workforce, the presence of women in this sector, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), is 22%, reaching 32% in renewable businesses.
Iberdrola aspires to generate an impact that exceeds its organization and is sustainable over time, which is why, for years, it has been working on the implementation of practices, both internal and external, that seek to support women in moments key to his career.
Firstly, awakening interest in STEM areas among girls and young people and then supporting them in their training and integration into the labor market, as well as accelerating the development of their employees and giving visibility to leading professionals, who contribute to combating gender biases.
Among the programs carried out by the company, those designed to enhance the development and give visibility to leading women stand out.
In Spain, the different training projects for girls and young people, agreements with different entities, such as Innobasque (the Innovation Agency of the Basque Country) or alliances such as the one made with the Ministry of Education, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas or the EMT, among others; This year it has joined the Technovation Girls initiative, an innovation and entrepreneurship program in which girls and adolescents work alongside volunteer mentors solving problems in their environment through the use of technology.
In the United States, the Avangrid Foundation, in collaboration with the Girls Inc organization, promotes the Eureka! program, aimed at promoting intensive training and internships for five years in companies related to STEM careers in young people from minority groups or in the first university students of the families. Iberdrola in the United States also supports the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Additionally, in 2021, the company joined Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of organizations dedicated to addressing racial and gender gaps in the business sector and achieving full gender parity by 2030.
In the United Kingdom, Iberdrola, through its subsidiary ScottishPower, is a member of POWERful Women, an initiative to advance gender diversity within the energy sector. In addition, the company also has an employee network called SP Connected Women, which provides a platform for its members to meet regularly and share their experiences and ideas both internally and at external events.
In Mexico, Iberdrola has held the Women with Energy forum since 2018, a space for dialogue and training on diversity, equity and inclusion to promote initiatives that close the gender gap. Additionally, in 2023, the company held its fourth call for its STEM scholarships, a program carried out since 2019 in alliance with local institutions that seeks to promote the study of engineering in Oaxacan youth.
In Brazil, through Neoenergia, the company committed in 2023 to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact to increase the number of women and black people in leadership positions by more than 30% by 2025 in all its units. of business in the country, among other initiatives.
