Thammasat University has joined hands with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote gender equality and create internship opportunities for women and LGBTQI+ students in the energy sector in Southeast Asia.
The university is working with USAID to launch the Enhancing Equality in Energy for Southeast Asia (E4SEA) project to promote equality in this male-dominated sector.
Steve Olive, USAID's mission director for the Regional Development Mission for Asia, said clean energy industries could create 20 million jobs in the next decade.
However, gender-role attitudes and cultures have often barred opportunities for women or LGBTQI+ groups to work in the energy sector despite their potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Mr Olive said.
Under the E4SEA project, the university will be responsible for regional energy internship coordination, in which CORE International Inc, a small business that provides management consulting services, will support women and LGBTQI+ workers in the energy sector.
"The project will not only support green energy businesses but also create jobs for every gender equally, which will help strengthen businesses and innovation and boost effectiveness," he said.
Assoc Prof Surat Teerakapibal, Thammasat University's vice-rector for administration (Tha Prachan) and international affairs, said the university was chosen as the host to set up a regional internship coordination centre.
The university will open applications for university students in Asean to intern with leading energy firms in the region. It will also provide travel and other subsidies, Assoc Prof Surat said.