Scotland’s space industry is on the cusp of significant growth, with projections indicating an increase in demand for skilled workers. As the industry quickly grows and changes, firms are intensifying their recruiting campaigns to prepare for the needs of a rapidly growing industry. There are plans for as many as 30 rocket launches annually from SaxaVord in Unst, Shetland, starting in 2026. This has created an incredible opportunity for economic development within the rapidly growing industry.
Millie Brown, a student who recently discovered her passion for the space sector, highlights the growing interest among young people. “The Scottish space sector is growing at a really quick rate, so the skills I’ve learned here are going to be really helpful going forward,” she stated. Her experience highlights the amazing opportunities that students can pursue in this exciting and ambitious field.
One of our VIPs, Dr Christie Maddock, a specialist in the sector, hailed the extraordinary evolution of the Scottish space ecosystem. “Fifteen years ago, we didn’t do any launches; 25 years ago, we didn’t make any satellites,” she said. This sector is changing very quickly. In the UK, around 55,000 people are employed in a diverse array of space-related occupations.
Clyde Space, under the direction of Andrew Strain, has been a shining example of this development. To the company’s credit, it has grown from a mere two employees to around 200 employees. “The company now for us is around 200 people across eight locations around the world,” Strain remarked, highlighting the global reach of his operations.
With growth comes challenges. As Skyrora’s Derek Harris put it – There’s an obvious urgency to find specialist staff and wider manufacturing capacity. Currently, we have close to 85 employees here within the facility in Cumbernauld. As we focus on our commercial launches, we are looking to scale up. This will necessitate that we bring on board 250-300 new staff. As we noted above, Harris made a key executive omission in her main pitch. This gap indicates that businesses are having a difficult time identifying qualified candidates.
The present Scottish space eco-system consists of around 230 companies / public sector organizations. Combined, they also directly employ about 8,000 people—from set designers to planetary scientists—in a variety of activities related to exploration, entertainment, and education. With ambitions to grow this workforce to 20,000 over the next decade, industry leaders are actively seeking ways to attract and retain talent.
Students like Farboud Foroughi want to be a part of this growing industry. “I’ve been always passionate about space. I remember my seventh birthday cake was a space shuttle,” he shared. Foroughi’s excitement is emblematic of a new wave of young engineers and scientists who want to be part of the growing space initiative in Scotland.
Ingmar Kamalagharan, head of education and future workforce at the UK Space Agency, commented on the thriving industry. “The sector is ever-evolving and growing,” he stated. His comments highlight the importance of educational initiatives aimed at preparing the future workforce for emerging opportunities in space exploration.
Scottish space companies are already experiencing serious recruitment competition from the renewables and oil and gas industries. One thing’s for sure — they’re committed to winning a strong workforce. Derek Harris noted that “all of these things are in demand by these (Scottish space companies) looking to grow.” This intense competition forces creative development of recruitment pipelines and training programs.
With Scotland’s first commercial launches on the horizon, new and exciting projects are creating an ever more promising pipeline. The industry finds itself at an important inflection point. The health care training opportunities that universities and colleges will commit to creating through new apprenticeship programs will help fill the future workforce pipeline demand.