Scotland’s aerospace sector is on the cusp of a dramatic shift. It is establishing record-high goals for expansion and requiring a steadily increasing workforce of skilled technicians. The sector gets ready for its first satellite launches from SaxaVord in Shetland in 2026. This has resulted in a critical demand for a thoroughly trained workforce. At the moment, there are just over 8,000 people employed in the space sector across Scotland. Over the next 10 years, we hope to see that number increase to 20,000!
Millie Brown, student, recently career shadowed in the space field and shares her thoughts on how her impression of this field has shifted. In the beginning, she was unaware of the potential this field holds. Thanks to meeting industry professionals through her studies though, she sees a future in space as “definitely on the cards.”
Dr. Christie Maddock, an expert in the field, underscored the pace of innovation coming out of Scotland’s booming space sector. “Fifteen years ago, Scotland didn’t conduct any launches; twenty-five years ago, we didn’t manufacture any satellites,” she stated. Today, however, the landscape has shifted dramatically. The presence of two or three spaceports and ongoing development of launch systems signify a new era for the region.
No one has seen this evolution up close more than Andrew Strain, CEO of Clyde Space. Since then, under his leadership, the company has grown from a mere two-person operation to a staff of roughly 200 over the last two decades. We’ve got folks coming out of our local colleges, university, but we have our apprentices. As he put it, “We’ve hired people from the lines, from assembly and manufacturing.” Most of them have never operated in space before.
As Derek Harris of Skyrora points out, the driving need for talent is immediate and acute. He particularly underscores the need for advanced manufacturing specialists as well as broad-base manufacturing positions. That’s a huge chasm in some key positions,” he added. And as they continue to grow for their commercial service, he observed that businesses are going to have to speed up hiring. In particular, his facility will need an additional 250-300 employees.
Yet the Scottish space sector has enjoyed a decade of explosive growth. Now there are nearly 230 active companies enjoying success in the area. This explosive growth has led to cut-throat competition. Industries ranging from renewables to oil and gas to manufacturing are all competing for a small pool of skilled workers.
As Ingmar Kamalagharan, head of education and future workforce at the UK Space Agency, remarked, “The sector is ever-evolving and growing.” This evolution opens up exciting new opportunities for students. Farboud Foroughi, who has been dreaming of going to space since he was five years old, is one of them. “I remember my seventh birthday cake was a space shuttle,” he recalled. Together with his classmate Anushka Bansode, Foroughi hopes to segue immediately into the burgeoning Scottish space industry after graduating.
Industry leaders are united in their calls to ensure that we’re equipping the next generation of talent to take advantage of these new opportunities. One source mentioned, “The sector has grown massively over the past 10 years. If we project forwards 10 years, we’ll probably need the same number of people again.”
The excitement around Scotland’s space aspirations is still very much in the air as SaxaVord gears up to potentially launch 30 rockets per year. Educational institutions and corporate partners alike are preparing for that future. They’re accelerating new training programs to prepare a highly trained workforce that will be ready to answer the calls of tomorrow.