Bonnie Gao, Sunehra Mehrun, Tai Vo, and Wren Droesse are the recipients of the inaugural round of grants from the Trellis Fund, a new student award program for women who plan to enter green energy careers.
Gao is studying with the Social Exergy and Energy Lab at the University of Victoria. Mehrun is enrolled in the Automotive and Vehicle Engineering Technology at McMaster University, with a focus on electric vehicles. Vo has entered the Construction Engineering Technician Program at Toronto’s George Brown College. And Droesse is already in the field as a wind turbine technician after completing the training program at Lethbridge Polytechnic in Alberta. They’ll each receive a one-time grant of $2,500 to support their studies or their shift into the work force.
Apart from geographic diversity and a mix of different industries, the eight-member advisory committee behind the award was looking for what inspired applicants to enrol in clean energy programs, explained eco-entrepreneur Rebecca Black, who launched the fund in memory of her mother, Veronica.
“We wanted to see thoughtfulness,” she said. “We wanted to be convinced that they were going to pursue what they set out to do. We wanted to know that they might make an impact. And we were interested in their entrepreneurial or creative spirit, balanced with the idea that a lot of the jobs are not entrepreneurial, they’re very infrastructure-focused, so how confident they were studying for a job where they would be able to find employment.”
All of those factors were important at a moment when women only hold 28% of the jobs in the energy sector. “There’s a big gap between the potential and what we’re actually seeing on the ground, when we all know that resilient solutions have a diverse group of decision-makers at the table,” Black said. “So whether you want to be a power line worker, work on clean energy policy in government, or pivot your business career into the clean energy transition, we were accepting applications.”
The advisory committee was also looking for applicants with a strong, practical interest in implementing climate and energy solutions.
“We have the technologies,” Black said. “What we don’t have is the systemic will, and that calls for different ways of thinking about and solving problems.”
Gao and Mehrun both said the grant would make a big difference in helping them complete their studies.
“The next two years are critical in ensuring that the energy transition is equitable and inclusive,” Gao wrote in an email. “The work force in the electricity and energy sector is rapidly changing, and it is critical that opportunities are being created to ensure under-represented groups can enter the work force and participate in the low-carbon energy transition.”
“My goal is to leverage my engineering skills and knowledge to help mitigate the environmental impact of the automotive industry and promote a greener, more sustainable future,” Mehrun said. This grant is crucial for me because the current job market is incredibly challenging, and securing a job to support myself during the school year has been difficult.”
Being a Trellis grant recipient “not only alleviates financial pressure but also boosts my confidence and motivation to excel in my academic and professional pursuits,” she added.
Advisory board member Mary Warner, co-executive director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-op, said the Trellis Fund helps address a gap that makes it harder for women to enter clean energy jobs.
“We’ve collectively seen the power of having a support system as you navigate an industry that is not female-led,” she said. “Those connections are so important, to have people to bounce ideas off of.” That’s an areas where the advisory board members, who originally met a decade ago through Toronto-based Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), are hoping to support grant recipients with informal advice, encouragement, and trouble-shooting.
“We’ve done it ourselves, so it’s to see that replicated,” Warner said.
Black said the Trellis Fund launched at a moment of powerful potential for the energy transition.
“Times have changed,” she said. “Working in climate, there have been some tough years. But right now, I feel a great sense of optimism for many of the things happening out in the world in areas like grid development, affordability, implementation of renewable energy, and in calling out greenwashing. And we’re starting to see the activism that was halted by COVID starting to bubble up again.”
All of those positive developments add up to “a really great time to try and put effort in,” she said. “This is a good time to be busy, and to be on the right side of it. Despite all the difficulties in the world, there’s just so much to do and to be positively focused on.”
