‘Hothouse’ scheme for renewables sector

A SCHEME to “hothouse” young professionals in the multi-billion-pound renewable energy sector will provide newcomers with access to top business leaders and policy makers.

Jeremy Sainsbury is keynote speaker for inaugural event

Young Professionals in Renewables (YPiR), which is due to launch formally in October, is aimed at developers, academics, accountants, lawyers and financiers working within the green energy industry. It marks a partnership between industry body Scottish Renewables, law firm Pinsent Masons and renewable energy developer BayWa r.e. UK.

The development of YPiR was pioneered by Jennifer Russell, legal counsel at BayWa, who, with the support of solicitor Michael Duffy at Pinsent Masons, won a Dragons’ Den-style competition to secure funding for the initiative.

Russell said: “One of the great attractions for renewables developers carrying on business in Scotland is access to a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

“With this in mind, YPiR aims to provide young professionals with the support they need to develop business and networking skills in a non-intimidating environment.”

Duffy added: “In many ways, it is surprising that a group of this sort does not already exist. So much of the industry is about accumulated knowledge, and we need to make an asset of that domestically and internationally in much the same way as has occurred in the oil and gas sector.”

A launch in Edinburgh on 21 October will hear from keynote speaker Jeremy Sainsbury, former chair of Scottish Renewables and current director of renewable energy consultancy Natural Power. YPiR is confident it can attract “some of the industry’s most influential figures”.