Caitlin Villaneuva was born in Stirling, but she’s proud of her Filipino roots. At 25, she credits her mother’s work ethic for the woman she’s become, a rising star in renewables.
“My mother has always emphasised the importance of education and pushed me to work hard academically. In the Philippines, access to education is limited without money, so at just 17, my mum made the decision to move abroad in search of better opportunities. Over the years she established two successful takeaway restaurants in Edinburgh. I worked in the business from when I was 16, however realised early on that I wanted to pursue a different path for my future.”
“It wasn’t like I ever thought of being an architect, it just suited my skill set and I knew I could excel in it. I fell in love with it. It was all about designing and using AutoCAD. I never knew that architectural technology was a career. You always hear about architects and visual design but not about that bridge between design and structural practicality.”
A career in renewable energy hadn’t been high on Caitlin’s list but then fate intervened.
“I needed a placement as part of my course, so I started looking on LinkedIn and came across an advert for an architectural technologist with Aberdeen City Council. The council was a client of Vital Energi’s, they passed my details on, and Vital asked me to come in for a chat. They were originally looking to hire apprentices but were open to the idea of a pre-graduate, so it was a good thing for me and a good thing for them, and it just blossomed from there.”
While women remain underrepresented in renewable energy in Scotland and the UK, the sector is making strides toward greater inclusivity. However, according to POWERful Women, an organisation that tracks gender diversity in the UK energy sector, it's estimated that only around 32% of employees are women.
Caitlin, who now works in Vital Energi’s Scotland office in Glasgow, thinks she has some ideas why.
"Vital are passionate about their young workforce. I’m a visual learner and fortunate that Vital encourage me to go to a site and see what I’ve been doing on paper in real life. You get to meet a lot of different people, and they will always talk to you about what they are doing and how things work.
“I've never felt like a minority, even though I will go on a call with 20 people, and I am the only female. Nobody makes you feel like you're small or invalid, everybody knows it doesn't matter who you are. But the wider industry is still lagging behind.”
Caitlin also feels companies could do more to engage with academia, not just universities but high schools as well, and not only in the big cities. This is something Vital Energi is already doing through its climate education programme, vital education, which aims to inspire the next generation and empower them to make small changes that will have a big impact on the UK’s journey to net zero.
“I went to Bannockburn High School before we moved to Glenrothes when I was 15. Not a lot of companies came to Auchmuty high, even though we are a short commute from Edinburgh and Dundee. I just don’t think they see it as an opportunity to try and grasp people at a young age. I honestly don't understand it."
Caitlin is Gen-Z. She loves to travel, touring Argentina and Brazil last year, she’s just back from a trip to Italy and she’s off to Jordan this summer. She also loves a good music festival and has a gym membership where pole fitness classes are her thing.
Although sometimes dismissed as a workshy generation, Caitlin says she and her friends are highly motivated and expect prospective employers to have a positive, modern vision.
“Young people want to know the real world impact of the work and value a company which trusts its employees and embraces flexible working. We need industry role models and there aren’t many of them. We also need mentors. And young people value a sense of community at work, colleagues they can socialise with and who understand what they do.”
For that reason, and like several of her Vital Energi colleagues, Caitlin has joined the District Heating Divas, an organisation designed to support women in renewables.
“It's a networking thing but it’s also just about making friends, and having that environment where people understand you. It's good to see things from the perspective of others as well”.
Caitlin is just starting out in her career but she’s making a tangible impact in the industry already. Her feet are firmly on the ground, but they are certainly taking her places.
