Building a Diverse and Equitable Distributed Wind Workforce: A Strategic Approach to Collaborator Selection

Abstract. The demand for a skilled distributed wind (DW) workforce is rising with industry growth and recent federal support for technology adoption. However, challenges persist in scaling the industry. For example, DW installers have reported difficulty hiring, and areas with economically viable DW potential are often in rural and remote disadvantaged communities where workforce development opportunities have not been fully realized. Overall, the wind energy sector has a below-average representation of marginalized groups, and the transition to a cleaner energy future is an opportunity to change that. As more renewables, including DW, come online, scaling workforce capacity can be done in tandem with supporting workforce diversity. Moreover, to promote fair and equitable outcomes in workforce development, efforts to address limited workforce capacity should encourage participation from under-resourced and under-represented populations. Engaging under-represented populations not only helps close skills gaps but also ensures that the wind energy sector benefits from diverse perspectives, driving innovation and more effective solutions. Additionally, prioritizing workforce diversity ensures marginalized communities share in the benefits of the clean energy transition, ultimately supporting the long-term sustainability and inclusivity of the industry. The Diverse and Equitable Workforce in Wind Energy (DEWWind) project has developed a replicable equity-driven rubric to identify potential industry and academic collaborators for workforce development programming. This rubric identifies and considers workforce partners outside of traditional networks across locational, institutional, and socioeconomic criteria to advance new partnership-building opportunities in areas favorable for DW. These collaborative opportunities can serve as case studies for improving future scale-up of equitable wind workforce partnerships.