The Energy Workforce & Technology Council kicked off its third year of the Inclusion & Diversity Business Champion Program with a virtual seminar designed to equip attendees with tools and an action plan to initiate change within their companies.
The training program will provide resources for leaders to affect internal change, focusing on building their organization’s internal capabilities on inclusion and diversity. Using an interactive webinar format, mentoring and executive sponsorship, the course will leverage the Council’s Diversity Toolkit and strategies to help companies create individual plans of action. Course content includes perspective from leading companies and industry leaders.
Council COO Molly Determan welcomed participants with an overview of the course and explained the background of the program. She shared how the Council worked with Accenture to develop a Diversity in OFS survey in 2018, which helped companies benchmark gender diversity against the sector. Out of that survey an I&D Toolkit was developed with a maturity index and actionable recommendations for companies on how to improve along that maturity. The I&D Business Champion Program was developed by member companies as the next step in helping companies build inclusive teams.
The diversity survey was updated in 2021 and expanded to include race and ethnicity, and the I&D Toolkit will be updated and shared with member companies in April 2022.
“Inclusion and diversity is increasingly important in recruiting and retaining the high-quality workforce our sector needs to meet the energy needs of the future. The I&D Business Champion Program helps participants understand key concepts and apply them within their own companies to create lasting change.”
Molly Determan, COO, Energy Workforce & Technology Council
The Envision Group, a leader in corporate advising and coaching, facilitated the seminar, which covered topics such as the four layers of diversity, the difference between inclusion and diversity, embedding inclusion into a company’s culture and benefits of an inclusive and diverse culture to organizations.
Participants talked about events over the past couple of years and the effect on how people view diversity.
“I definitely think with the pandemic, with what happened to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and now what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine, there have been some significant changes and shifts in thought processes because people are thinking differently. This has been a wakeup call for all of us around how we choose to act and behave and treat people. From a workplace standpoint, I see the benefit of being able to take back what I’ve learned today and help to make changes within my organization.”
I&D Business Champion Program Participant
The seminar closed with a breakout session in which co-workers discussed the main I&D challenges their organizations are currently facing.
Companies represented included Caterpillar, Hunting Energy Services, Integrated Well Services, NOV Inc., Oceaneering International, Oil States International, Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, SPM Oil & Gas, A Caterpillar Company and TechnipFMC.
Quarterly best practice sharing sessions will be held throughout the year. These are critical opportunities for participants to learn what approaches have worked in other companies and how they may apply to their organizations.
For more information on inclusion and diversity, or the I&D program, contact COO Molly Determan.
Peggy Helfert, Vice President Programs and Events, writes about the Council’s sector-specific best practices and leadership. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
