During this summer, students from 10 UK universities participated in an interactive learning programme on propulsion test skills. Delivered remotely by Chris Smith and Charlie Young, under the auspices of the Plastron Space Industry Centre for Excellence, (a collaboration between Plastron and European Astrotech), the modular course taught sequentially how propulsion engineers test components, design system-level testing and then report on the outcomes. The training cuminated in a one-day on-site practical skills workshop, where students learned fundamental technical skills in tool handling, test set up, problem solving and SCAPE. Overall, 59 students completed the online course, of which 49 joined us for a unique day of skills development.
The programme was funded through a £30,100 grant from the UK Space Agency, organised by Kathie Bowden, National Point of Contact for Space Skills and Careers at the UK Space Agency, who said,
“We supported this programme as it offers a unique opportunity for students in higher education to gain theoretical and practical experience of safety critical processes in real-world space engineering.”
“I was so impressed to see, first-hand, the positive impact this had on the participants, many of whom have been inspired to seriously consider a career in space.”
“There are thousands of technical and non-technical roles available in the UK Space sector, and we want to engage and inspire the next generation to open up as many new career paths to them as possible.”
The impact of the course on the students was significant:
“A great way for students to get a practical understanding of space systems not taught in university.”
“Very interesting and has pushed me to change my course to aerospace engineering.”
“I found the course extremely beneficial. I would say it’s the most I have learnt about the space industry since starting my course. It feels so much more accessible to me now than before and like something I would really love to continue pursuing. I really liked how the three separate activities were split up, it meant we were able to stay fully engaged throughout the day and meet different people. All three sessions were extremely helpful. There was a great mix of practical application and thinking with problem solving. I found every person at European Astrotech and Plastron to be incredibly welcoming, insightful and committed to supporting us all. I would 100% recommend it to anyone that gets the opportunity.