Scotland’s booming space industry is at a crossroads as it faces a massive shortage of skilled labor. The industry is changing quickly though, with more companies entering the space and more launch pads on the way. To meet the mandate, they’ll require an estimated 20,000 new employees in the next 10 years. Today, about 8,000 people are employed in space-related jobs throughout Scotland. They form a critical foundation on which the UK’s overall workforce of about 55,000 in the sector rests.
Student Millie Brown, who dove deep into her possibilities in the space industry, said she left with an entirely new excitement. “Meeting people and companies during my course has opened my eyes to opportunities in Scotland’s space industry,” she stated. Nationally, this sentiment is echoed by a growing number of young professionals who are beginning to recognize the exciting careers that await them in this dynamic field.
Dr. Christie Maddock, an academic with a deep understanding of the industry’s history, remarked on the distance that Scotland has traveled. “Fifteen years ago, we didn’t conduct any launches; twenty-five years ago, we didn’t make any satellites,” she explained. This kind of change highlights the need for specialized training and recruitment in a field that is only starting to come into its own.
Clyde Space, the UK’s leading small satellite industry company, has experienced record growth. In the past 20 years, they’ve gone from just a handful of employees to 200 employees strong. Andrew Strain, a leader at Clyde Space, emphasized the importance of talent acquisition, stating, “We have people coming from local colleges and universities, we have apprentices. We have people that have worked in parallel industries like assembly and manufacturing that we’ve picked up who have never worked in space before.”
Skyrora’s Derek Harris seconded this note, calling attention to an urgent double demand for skilled hands. Currently we have around 85 personnel based here at the facility in Cumbernauld. On a commercial level, we intend to ramp up for our launches. This will need us to hire the equivalent of 250-300 fulltime employees. He highlighted a dire lack in leadership roles within the industry. This report shows an immediate demand for additional specialized personnel as well as the broader field of generalist manufacturing roles.
This demand for skilled workers comes as Scotland prepares to establish multiple launch sites, including SaxaVord in Unst, Shetland, which is projected to launch up to 30 rockets per year. This limits a space endeavor’s maneuverability, especially as the Scottish space sector grows and cordially competes for skilled labor. Businesses are competing with other established industries such as renewables, oil and gas, defense, and manufacturing for talent.
Architecture and engineering student Farboud Foroughi, who hopes to one day join Scotland’s emerging space industry, described his lifelong passion for all things space. “I’ve been always passionate about space. I remember my seventh birthday cake was a space shuttle,” he reminisced. Foroughi’s excitement is characteristic of the spirit we found among the young people eager to stake their claim in this new, burgeoning field.
Ingmar Kamalagharan is head of education and the future workforce at the UK Space Agency. He underscored the need for the sector to be always evolving. He pointed to the importance of developing a robust pipeline of talent. This will help guarantee they are prepared to respond to the industry’s constantly evolving needs.
The sector has expanded greatly during the last decade. If we project forwards 10 years, we’ll probably need the same number of people again,” a source within the industry stated. This projection paints a clear and immediate picture of the need for future action to be proactive so that educational pathways are tightly matched with industry needs.
As Scotland’s space industry gears up for a promising future filled with opportunities for growth and innovation, addressing workforce shortages will be crucial. A true economic opportunity with time, local talent’s rise and strategic educational investments can effectively close the gulf between aspiration and opportunity.