The Space Sector Skills Survey 2023 has now closed

A report was published in September 2023 based on the results: Space Sector Skills Survey 2023 results

The survey remains accessible below for reference purposes.

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Space Sector Skills Survey 2023

This survey seeks to understand recruitment and skills challenges

It has been commissioned by the UK Space Agency as the primary source of evidence to support the UK Government’s understanding of skills gaps and workforce challenges in the space sector.

It is being conducted by Space Skills Alliance and know.space, and is open from 24th April 2023 to 2nd June 2023.

This is your opportunity to influence DSIT and the UK Space Agency

Your answers to this survey will directly feed into policy-making decisions at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and will be used by the UK Space Agency to inform funding of skills and training interventions.

The Space Sector Skills Survey will help us to identify the skills gaps and shape policies that will support the growth of the industry. I urge all companies in the sector to respond and share their valuable insights.

Dr Paul Bate, UK Space Agency CEO

It is open to all organisations employing space professionals

Any organisation that uses space as part of their day-to-day operations is encouraged to respond. This includes companies that build and launch satellites, use Earth observation data, and build software for the space sector.

It’ll take you between 15 and 25 minutes

Almost all of the questions are closed questions that are quick and easy to answer. If you have some time to spare, there are opportunities to provide some more detail and to be involved in follow-up studies, which we would really appreciate.

Your answers will be kept confidential

We understand that some of the information we ask for is commercially sensitive. All your answers will be treated confidentially, and you can answer all, some, or none of the questions.

You can contact us at info@spaceskills.org

If you have any questions about this survey, you can get in touch with us at info@spaceskills.org.

Progress saved

Information you will need to provide

This survey is going to ask about:

  • Your space-related hiring in the last 12 months
  • Your skills needs
  • Your training provision and needs
  • Your engagement with education providers
  • Your retention challenges

You might find it useful to have information about these topics to hand before you start. Your answers will be saved as you go, so you can pause and come back at any time.

A Word document version of this survey is available to download as a reference to help you prepare your answers or to share with colleagues.

Your details

This section is about who you are. We want to understand who is responding from each organisation, and we may get in touch if we need clarification about any of your answers.

You won’t be added to any mailing lists.

Your organisation

When you start typing you will see some suggestions, you can select one or write your own.
Are you responding on behalf of your whole organisation?
Which of the following space-related activities is your organisation engaged in? Select all that apply. These are the same categories as are used in the annual survey of the Size & Health of the UK Space Industry.
Design and/or manufacture of space equipment and subsystems
Launch and/or operation of satellites
Applications of satellite signals and data
Specialised support services
Which of the following space-related capabilities does your organisation enable? Select all that apply. These are the same categories as are used in the annual survey of the Size & Health of the UK Space Industry.

What we mean by 'space-related role'

In this survey we will ask a lot about ‘space-related roles’, which are any roles that support space activities. This includes everyone from satellite engineers to software developers to administrative staff.

Please provide headcount rather than FTE, and include everyone, not just those working in space-related roles. An estimate is fine.
See the definition of space-related role above. Include people working in non-technical roles such as admin and finance, where they support space activities. An estimate is fine.
By ‘space technical specialist roles’ we mean roles that require highly technical space-specific skills and knowledge (for example rocket engine design). We are excluding more generic roles that require an understanding of space but have significant skills overlaps with other sectors (such as general data processing). An estimate is fine.
Do people in your organisation work remotely?

Your recent recruitment

At any point in the last 12 months, was your organisation recruiting for space-related roles?
Have you tried to hire from outside the UK?
Extra information helps us better understand and address problems.

Your skills needs

Do you see skills gaps in space job applicants?
Do you have skills gaps in your current space workforce?
Do you expect your organisation’s space skills needs to be the same in 3 years’ time?
Extra information helps us better understand and address problems.

Your training needs & provision

Did you provide training to your space workforce in the last 12 months?

Your engagement with education

What type of engagement has your organisation had with schools, colleges, and universities in the last 12 months?
Do you provide apprenticeships?
Extra information helps us better understand and address problems.

Your retention challenges

Has your organisation experienced any difficulties in retaining space-related staff in the last 12 months?
Add as many as are relevant, separated by commas. When you start typing you will see some suggestions, and you can also write your own.
Extra information helps us better understand and address problems.

Additional feedback

We will be conducting further in-depth structured interviews to delve deeper into the skills issues the sector faces. Would you be open to being interviewed in the next few weeks?