OLS plays an important role in the open data science movement by making open data science best practices accessible and creating effective support structures for individuals, projects and communities from both majority and underrepresented groups. People from technical and non-technical backgrounds develop skills in community-oriented data science and open leadership. We see a gap in the policy landscape that operationalises the values exemplified by OLS – centring EDIA principles in higher education and data science, and strengthening organisations’ infrastructure to provide diversified career and funding opportunities. This proposal will enable OLS to engage with the policy ecosystem – proposing open science projects on policy interventions, transferring knowledge from data science communities to inform policies and upskilling the next generation of a diverse workforce in effectively engaging with policymakers. OLS proposes to meet these objectives with the support the the Turing's Skills Policy Awards funding: 1. Integrating policy skills and resources in OLS 2. Conducting research and community consultations 3. Publishing a policy briefing note to broader access