BUSINESS INSIGHT
Filling skills gaps Anu Ojha, director of the National Space Academy, was also on the panel. He is a great exponent of igniting the passion of teachers through professional development. The academy’s 30+ team of science teachers, project scientists and engineers trains teachers to use its methodologies to reach hundreds of students per teacher. They also provide masterclasses for secondary-school and college students. The National Space Academy is keen to invite more
organisations to work with them to support the education and skills development of the UK’s next generations of scientists and engineers. Each year, nearly 7,000 secondary-school students and over 1,000 teachers participate in the academy’s intensive masterclass sessions and Continuing Professional Development programmes. Anu Ojha believes that “qualifications in science, engineering
and mathematics are among the most valuable currency that young people can have in a world whose future economic prosperity is being driven by job roles requiring these fundamental skills”. The results seem to be stunningly high. More than 80 per cent
of space engineering alumni having gone on to degree courses in physics or engineering, or to industry apprenticeships in engineering. The academy established the UK’s first full-time courses
for students in space engineering, was instrumental in the development of the UK’s first state schools with space contexts embedded throughout the curriculum (space studio schools) and co-led the development of the national Higher Apprenticeship programme for the space sector. I brief ly met Nigel Grainger, one of the first cohort of students
finishing the full-time course in summer 2014. He is now on the Airbus Higher Apprenticeship programme based in Bristol. “When I was looking at my options for an A Level course,
I was put forward. The course gave me a practical side, hands on, with the BTEC aspect of the course, as well as the theory side in A Level maths and physics.” Another student, Fahima Sayed, finished the space engineering
course in summer 2015, and has gone on to study for a degree in aeronautical engineering at Loughborough University. The National Space Academy is part funded by the National
Space Centre, the UK Space Agency, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Satellite Applications Catapult, and the Lloyds Register Foundation, with additional support from various UK space and aerospace companies.
With Relocate’s continuing interest in education and schools
and our commitment to supporting companies in developing and engaging talent, there must be a way of connecting the academy with our readership and supporting schools, education establishments and employers. If you would like to get involved, please email
editorial@relocatemagazine.com with your suggestions.
UK success story Having spent eight years in the US, Katherine Courtney feels that the UK space industry may have been guilty of hiding its light under a bushel in the past. She hopes Tim Peake’s expedition and subsequent role as a space ambassador will help to change that, particularly by inspiring children to start down a path that could lead them to careers that use knowledge of STEM subjects. The UKSA’s position is that, if only a few thousand more
children do this, the investment in Peake’s mission will have paid off. “From a pure economic perspective,” Katherine Courtney said, “every pound of taxpayer funding invested in space innovation generates more than £10 in return to the UK economy. The productivity of people who work in the space sector way outperforms most other sectors in the UK. And every job in the space sector accounts for a further two jobs in the wider economy.” Indeed, the UKSA has set out an ambitious target to grow the
space industry from £9.1 billion in 2010 to £40 billion in 2030. The industry is now worth almost £12 billion a year, directly
supports 37,000 jobs, and has grown at an average of nearly 9 per cent since 2000. Key players include well-established giants such as Astrium, the space subsidiary of aerospace and defence company EADS, Inmarsat, the telecommunications and satellite company, and Airbus Defence and Space. “What’s fairly unusual about the UK market compared to the
rest of Europe is that our space companies are all commercial companies,” said Katherine Courtney. “They’re privately owned or publicly traded. That gives the UK a uniquely innovative environment. Those companies have to develop new products and services in order to generate the revenue streams that keep them alive. And I think that’s actually one of the strengths of the UK space sector, whether that’s established or new start-ups. “We have a lot of innovation in the UK, and many advantages
Katherine Courtney
in terms of a business-friendly regulatory environment and tax offers that make it very attractive to invest. Those are things that government quite deliberately fosters, and will continue to foster.” In her speech to the CBI, the Prime
Minister outlined her plans for Britain to be “the global go-to place for scientists, innovators and tech investors”. In the Autumn Statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond confirmed a spend of £2 billion per year for science and technology.
Keep up with our coverage of how the UK’s global businesses are investing in the future and supporting the next generations of global talent, across the Relocate media.
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