Space industry Centre for Excellence (SiC4E)
funded by the UK Space Agency
to develop Groundbreaking & Innovative
Engineering Test training programme for Space Engineering
The UK space sector is booming, but its continued success hinges on a skilled workforce. The space sector is heavily reliant on a workforce with the technical know-how and practical expertise to convert innovative concepts into functional prototypes and eventually into commercially successful products. But as with other technology sectors, Houston, there is a problem. In the UK space sector, the development of innovative new technologies alongside the advanced and more conventional ones is placing pressure on incumbents to develop their workforces even though time is limited, resource levels are thin and the required training often does not exist.
This year, the UK Space Agency has injected a record-breaking £2.1 million+ to develop a range of strategically important and commercially viable training programmes. One of the successful projects is led by the Space Industry Centre for Excellence (SiC4E), a collaboration spearheaded by Plastron Training and European Astrotech in 2020. Building on their established expertise in safety skills training, SiC4E will develop a groundbreaking hybrid training programme in Engineering Test Best Practice.
SiC4E’s new programme
Building on previous work on practical safety skills training, the SiC4E will be developing an entirely new hybrid training programme in Engineering Test Best Practice, designed to inform and inspire a generation of existing and future technologists to integrate safety and quality-led practices into their day-to-day space-based engineering operations. This hybrid programme will provide a combination of online, VR/AR, and hands-on learning.
Why Engineering Test?
Hardware reliability is critical for both mission success and future debris mitigation, and the longer a mission, the more testing is required. Engineering Test is the critical path of mission delivery and the backbone for assuring mission success.
Who should get involved?
The programme welcomes participants from various backgrounds including FE, HE, start-ups, and early career technologists, and individuals looking at transitioning into the sector. SiC4E is seeking 350 individuals to participate in this development phase who will be instrumental in shaping this hybrid skills programme.
“We are delighted to be funding Plastron Training Ltd’s ‘Space Systems: Engineering Test Best Practice Programme’ through the Training Programmes Fund. We’ve made more than £2.1m available through this fund to catalyse new and innovative training programmes to address key skills gaps faced by the UK space sector. The UK Space Agency plays a vital role in providing a skilled, diverse, and sustainable workforce for the UK space sector now and in the future. This new training programme is central to us achieving our aim and will directly address short to medium term skills needs in the space sector that are not currently being met.”
Professor Anu Ojha OBE, Director – International, ESA, Education, Communications and Parliamentary Engagement, UK Space Agency