Written on: September 15, 2022 by ICM
In addition to celebrating its 5th anniversary, Women in Energy (WE) has launched the new online Learning Center on Sept. 15.
“With all our recorded Webinar Wednesday sessions, our educational library has grown to be pretty expansive,” explained Judy Garber, WE Executive Director. “Over the past half a year we have consolidated all this content in the easy-to-access Learning Portal on the WE website. We have also included programming from our 2022 Annual Conference and members can access this material wherever and whenever they wish.”
The material covers everything that someone relatively new to the industry—or someone who just changed positions—may benefit from: soft skills, leadership, financial wellness, Welcome to the Energy Industry, sales and marketing, personal development, etc., WE said.
“We love identifying needs and providing meaningful solutions,” said WE President Erin Holohan Haskell. “For instance, some of our members in marketing and customer service roles expressed an interest in learning more about the technical aspects of our industry to better assist their customers and expand their knowledge. This feedback gave us real direction in regard to the learning opportunities we wanted to create next.”
As a result, WE developed material on a wide variety of energy technologies. A small sample of the courses offered include “Residential Heating 101,” “Heating System Basics,” “Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel 101,” “Heat Pumps 101,” “Introduction to Solar, Wind Energy 101,” and “Geothermal Basics.” These intro sessions can be found under the portal’s “Welcome to the Energy Industry” section.
This content is a resource for business owners and managers to bring new employees up to speed, or for members to learn on their own. “One of the great joys I’ve found in working with WE is that we can move quickly to answer a need,” continued Holohan Haskell. “We’re small and new enough to be nimble. We think ‘what if?’ and then make ‘what if’ happen. In reality, that’s how WE was founded, and we’ve continued doing that. For a small organization, we’ve managed to get a lot done in a short time.”
Members gain Early Access to the Learning Portal on Sept. 15; after that, it is open to both members and non-members. The Annual Subscription offers both a member price and a non-member price. Income generated allows WE to maintain the product and continually add new material.
Garber said, “For those that are not yet a member, the savings for the annual subscription provides another good reason to join. We have various levels of WE membership, from individual to a tiered corporate structure. In addition to this new Learning Portal, we host an annual conference, networking events, workshops and have numerous regional events planned for 2022–2023. These events can be found listed at the WE website.”
In the five years since it was established, WE has grown dramatically and continually strives to deliver programming that strengthens the skillset and knowledge base as it relates to members’ careers in the energy industry. The organization now has more than 350 members nationwide and is on a steady growth trajectory.
“Our mission is to connect and empower women working in the energy industry,” said Holohan Haskell. “We do this by providing career resources, creating networking and mentoring opportunities, promoting educational courses, and developing strategies to minimize obstacles women may face in the industry. We follow this mission in everything we do.”
Visit www.wewomeninenergy.com.
