12 Gender Justice in the Energy Transition Era …
387
i. Women Will Need to Be Reskilled
We must take cognizance of the social, cultural and traditional norms
that inform the different ways in which men and women work. Women
are deemed too risk-averse and lack the conviction to take up opportunities.
Governments in developing and frontier oil and gas economies should
consider these social, cultural differences when creating regulations.
Initiatives through the education sector should advocate for skill-based
courses that will increase the uptake of women in technical careers.
These initiatives may be conducted through partnerships with schools,
colleges, vocational centre and universities.
52 In frontier economies such
as Kenya and Uganda that have recently discovered oil reserves, governments should ensure that the transfer of skills and knowledge should
incorporate elements of AI.
ii. Subsidies
Although most efforts to address the gender disparity between men
and women have focused on the supply side, there have been several
demand-side efforts to create incentives for women and girls to enrol in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”) education programmes.
53 Such efforts are intended to enable and provide
women with the requisite skills in the highest-growth roles of the future,
especially those that apply STEM skills.
The provision of subsidies for technical courses and programmes in
STEM would allow women to reskill. Such initiatives can be spearhead
by governments to aid in skills development in developing countries.
54
Countries such as Singapore have developed a national movement called
‘Skills Future’.
55 This initiative provides a platform whereby people
access training to develop skills and technical expertise at any stage in
52 Colleges and Institutes Canada, ‘Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP)’,
https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/what-we-do/international/education-for-employment/kenya/,
accessed May 5, 2020.
53 UNESCO, ‘Girls’ and Women’s Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM)’, https://en.unesco.org/stemed, accessed May 13, 2020.
54 Ibid.
55 Skillsfuture, https://www.skillsfuture.sg/AboutSkillsFuture, accessed April 14, 2020.
387
i. Women Will Need to Be Reskilled
We must take cognizance of the social, cultural and traditional norms
that inform the different ways in which men and women work. Women
are deemed too risk-averse and lack the conviction to take up opportunities.
Governments in developing and frontier oil and gas economies should
consider these social, cultural differences when creating regulations.
Initiatives through the education sector should advocate for skill-based
courses that will increase the uptake of women in technical careers.
These initiatives may be conducted through partnerships with schools,
colleges, vocational centre and universities.
52 In frontier economies such
as Kenya and Uganda that have recently discovered oil reserves, governments should ensure that the transfer of skills and knowledge should
incorporate elements of AI.
ii. Subsidies
Although most efforts to address the gender disparity between men
and women have focused on the supply side, there have been several
demand-side efforts to create incentives for women and girls to enrol in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (“STEM”) education programmes.
53 Such efforts are intended to enable and provide
women with the requisite skills in the highest-growth roles of the future,
especially those that apply STEM skills.
The provision of subsidies for technical courses and programmes in
STEM would allow women to reskill. Such initiatives can be spearhead
by governments to aid in skills development in developing countries.
54
Countries such as Singapore have developed a national movement called
‘Skills Future’.
55 This initiative provides a platform whereby people
access training to develop skills and technical expertise at any stage in
52 Colleges and Institutes Canada, ‘Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP)’,
https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/what-we-do/international/education-for-employment/kenya/,
accessed May 5, 2020.
53 UNESCO, ‘Girls’ and Women’s Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM)’, https://en.unesco.org/stemed, accessed May 13, 2020.
54 Ibid.
55 Skillsfuture, https://www.skillsfuture.sg/AboutSkillsFuture, accessed April 14, 2020.