The Energy Workforce & Technology Council kicked off its second 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 discussed the Diversity Study and toolkit launched in 2018, which is currently being expanded this year to include gender and race/ethnicity.
“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
Pat Lipovski of Envision Group, a leader in corporate advising and coaching, led 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.
Our organization is committed to creating a diverse environment and proudly promotes inclusion at all levels of our organization, especially in light of the historical lack of diversity in the oil and gas sector. I’m honored to participate in this year’s Inclusion & Diversity Business Champion program and look forward to collaborating with and learning from my industry peers.
2021 I&D Business Champion Program Participant
The seminar closed with a breakout session in which co-workers discussed where their companies stand on inclusion and diversity, and drafted an action plan to take back to their companies and executive leadership based on what they learned.
The first seminar included more than 40 attendees who collaborated and shared some of their organizations’ best practices. Companies represented included Baker Hughes, Cimarex Energy, Caterpillar, Exterran, Gardner Denver, Milestone Environmental Services, NOV Inc., Philadelphia Mixing Solutions, Schlumberger, Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure and SPM Oil & Gas, A Caterpillar Company.
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.
