Is Satcom Heading for a Skills Crisis, or Are We Already There?
By the Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG)
The satellite industry is growing quickly, and at the same time is going through a process of transformation. It’s moving from static, fixed hardware-based systems to highly flexible and dynamic software-based networks that are configurable and able to operate across multi-orbits and bands. Although this rapid expansion and significant change is creating new opportunities and enabling satcom to serve new use cases, it’s also contributing to the growing skills gap both at young and mid-career level.
All this is coming at a time when the industry is already struggling to recruit enough adequately skilled professionals such as RF engineers and electromechanics specialists to fill vacant roles. The skills shortage is having an increasing operational impact on companies despite overall sector growth. Given the speed at which the required skills set is changing, if satcom isn’t already in a crisis, then it looks to be heading in that direction.
What’s Causing the Skills Crisis?
The problem is complex and multifaceted. Firstly, not enough young people are choosing to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), so there’s a shortage of skilled professionals across all STEM related fields. This issue is widely recognised, and efforts are being made by government bodies, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and schools to reverse this trend and encourage more young people into STEM studies and careers.
Next, not enough young people that are studying STEM related subjects at graduate level are choosing to follow a career path into satcom. This is likely to be partly because of a lack of awareness about, or visibility of satcom as a potential career path, but also because satcom is often not seen as appealing or interesting. Some suggest that satcom has an image problem compared with the more ‘glamourous’ side of space such as rockets and astronauts, which certainly doesn’t help matters when it comes to attracting new talent.
Most agree that at least part of the problem comes because interest in satellites is not being sparked at a young enough age. While younger children are often inspired by stories and talk about space and astronauts in space exploration, satellites rarely feature. This is an important factor because early exposure to a certain subject or field can ignite a lifelong passion.
It has also been said that STEM graduates often struggle to connect their studies with real career opportunities in satcom. If students and graduates can’t see how their studies can be applied to a career in satcom, they’re likely to go into another field. Another problem comes because young graduates applying for or considering a career in satcom often lack the core skills, such as mathematics, that the industry needs.
Another factor contributing to the growing skills gap is the changing skills set. As satcom evolves, the industry is moving from needing RF specialists to requiring IT system architects, software developers, cloud engineers and data scientists. There are not enough professionals in the industry’s existing workforce with the required new skills, which is leading to a major shortage of experienced and skilled professionals at mid-level. Competition for new talent is also intense because satcom is now having to compete with other sectors for the same talent. This of course makes recruitment and retention even more difficult.
With all of this in mind, what must the industry do address these challenges to secure its future workforce?
Earlier Engagement
Having discussed the skills gap time and time again with Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) members at industry discussions and SIG workshops in recent years, I don’t think anyone would disagree that engagement with satcom needs to start earlier on. That said, we as an industry also need to ensure there are the entry level opportunities available.
The question is, what is the best age to start engaging young people in satellites, and how should that be done? Should it be through raising awareness of how satellites shape daily life at a young age though pre-school or school, through stronger university-industry ties, or something else entirely?
SIG members are generally of the opinion that it’s important to introduce from a young primary school age the fact that satellites are an essential part of our daily life. Even early primary school children in key stage 1 (ages 5 – 7) can learn the basics that satellites allow us to communicate, navigate, predict the weather and observe the Earth. Then moving into key stage 2, (ages 7 – 11), where a more structured and subject-specific learning approach is introduced, children can be introduced to the idea of a career in satcom. As one SIG member put it, this needs to wait until key stage 2 because “trying to compete with dinosaurs and astronauts is pointless until they have a more nuanced understanding of science and careers”.
Then of course, once in secondary school between the ages of 11 and 18, satellites and related concepts and skills can be covered in STEM subjects as well as in geography, where satellites’ role in Earth observation, among other topics, can be taught. One of the reasons this doesn’t seem to happen enough may come back to satcom’s lack of visibility alongside the lack of understanding that the general population has about satellites. It also comes down to the fact that teachers are under pressure to follow a curriculum, with emphasis on passing exams. Would it help to have more resources that teachers could use to support learning about satellites on sites such as Twinkl, which is widely used in the UK? Possibly. It’s also important that the idea of a career in satcom be drip fed throughout secondary school. This is where closer links between industry and education establishments are vital so that industry can take part in career fairs, etc.
Greater Collaboration
How can we encourage more young engineers to embark on a career in satcom, and how do we make sure they have the skills that the industry needs? On the topic of how well universities and the satcom industry currently work together to prepare students for careers in this sector, there are certainly some SIG members that feel that universities aren’t preparing or training students well enough, or even at all, for a career in satcom. That said, universities are working hard to prepare students, not only with the specific relatable skills, but also with the soft skills that are often stated as missing. So there appears to be some sort of disconnect here.
The skills gap issue was discussed at length at a SIG Academia and Industry workshop held at the University of Birmingham in September last year. Participants at the workshop agreed that we need deeper collaboration between industry, universities and schools, with more real-world projects, mentoring and funded outreach that helps students see the practical relevance of what they are studying.
All agreed that early engagement is vital and needs to continue consistently through education, with higher education courses in particular needing to reflect the skills required by satcom today and in the future. Rather than one-off initiatives, there needs to be a sustained commitment from across the industry to support educators, shape curricula and create clearer, more accessible routes into satcom careers.
According to one academic institution I spoke to, funded projects between academia and industry, which can be done at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels, are the best way to attract students and retain them in specific industries. The main problem seems to be a lack of coordination between the wider industry and academia, making it difficult to see what is available. Of course, a lack of funding for this activity can also be a stumbling block.
It also seems to be the case that although universities often offer satcom modules on courses such as aerospace and electrical engineering, they are usually optional and are in the final years of university. It’s likely that if these topics were introduced earlier on during the degree course it would give students more time to specialise and refine their career path.
Awareness Raising
Part of satcom’s problems in this area stem from the fact that there is a general lack of awareness about satellites and their applications outside of the industry. With that in mind, how can we make satcom more visible and relevant to everyone, from young people and graduates to mid-career professionals working in other sectors who may have transferable skills?
This is a difficult nut to crack. Although I think satellites have featured more in the mainstream press in recent years, as LEO constellations have grabbed media attention, there’s still a gap in understanding about how satellites power critical day-to-day services around the world. As one SIG member explained to me, improving satellites visibility and relevancy is difficult because most people in developed countries have access to low-cost mobile connectivity, which makes communication simple. It’s not until you’re outside of the reach of a cell phone tower, whether in a rural area, or out at sea, that you realise how critical satcom is.
To make satcom more visible and to help people understand how relevant it is to them personally, everyone in the industry has a role to play in helping to educate the people around them on how critical satellites are to our everyday life.
Multipronged Approach
As with any problem as multi-layered and as complex as this, there needs to be lots of different activities each targeting different parts of the problem. Satcom/satellites need to be introduced from a much younger age, we need greater collaboration between schools, HEIs, and industry, as well as more funded initiatives, and improved awareness and understanding of satellites across the general population. These things all take time and are particularly challenging when you don’t have any one agency tasked with driving and coordinating the different activities that are needed. I certainly haven’t got all the answers, but I can see that satcom companies, individuals working in the industry, industry organisations like SIG, as well as education establishments, all have an important part to play in making satcom a desirable and valid career path for skilled professionals.
