SC Solutions’ Director of the Mechanical and Aerospace Division, Joseph Smith, has been invited to share his experience at the SpaceCom 2023 Show, themed “Off Planet for the Planet”. He will be a panelist for the session, “The Workforce We Need”, which will address the very relevant subject of workforce development for the rapidly growing and evolving space industry. The panel talk will take place on Thursday, February 23, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.
The commercial space industry is currently experiencing explosive growth, and there is an immediate demand for a huge quantity of highly qualified employees. The current talent pool is not supplying qualified candidates in the numbers needed. In addition to the need for candidates with traditional aerospace engineering skills, the space industry is also seeking candidates with new skillsets, due to new developments in the industry, such as in-space manufacturing and lunar surface habitat.
This session, comprised of educators and industry professionals, will focus on how to create a workforce development pipeline that reaches out to all quarters to identify, motivate, and successfully train the specialized employees that are needed.
Creating educational opportunities for those already in their careers as well as for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the ranks of the space workforce will be crucial to obtain the number of candidates needed to maintain the industry’s current trajectory.