The Beyond the Horizon report aims to Strengthen Ireland’s future skills base in the growing space sector.
Commissioned by the Regional Skills initiative of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the recently published Beyond the Horizon report identified the skill deficits and steps to be taken, in order to grow Ireland’s space workforce.
Contributors to the report included the Irish Space Association, Space industry Skillnet and Space Life Sciences Ireland, with the aim being to ensure the sector’s continued growth and competitiveness. It was launched at a joint industry-academia event for the sector hosted by UCD.
According to the report, Ireland’ space ecosystem is characterised by strong capabilities in engineering, software, advanced manufacturing, research and innovation, with major opportunities for professionals across adjacent sectors, for example agri-tech, climate tech, life sciences, and data analytics.
Findings did however conclude that there is a growing skills gap, in specialist engineering roles, systems engineering, quality assurance, AI and machine-learning applications, as well as in non-technical areas such as project management and regulatory knowledge.
Challenges in recruitment and retention persist, especially for experts at the mid-career level, mainly due to competition with other high-tech sectors and growing constraints on a limited talent supply.
Furthermore, the report found that educational and training pathways, in further and higher education, as well as professional upskilling routes, require strengthening, in order to build a sustainable talent pipeline.
Denise Rocks, the principal author of the report said, “Through our regional skills fora, we’ve been able to bring grounded, on-the-ground insight from companies and partners into this report. Beyond the Horizon is about turning that insight into a clear pathway, so more people can move into space-related roles and more organisations can access the talent they need.”
Dr. Patricia Moore, a co-author and the director of the Irish Space Association added, “Beyond the Horizon reflects the rapid maturation of Ireland’s space ecosystem. As the sector grows in scale and ambition, ensuring a strong, coordinated skills pipeline is essential. This report provides a clear evidence base to support industry, education and policy working together to build the workforce Ireland’s space economy needs.”
Ireland’s space sector is growing rapidly. In October of this year, Cork-based Suas Aerospace announced a partnership with Dutch company T-minus Engineering to launch Ireland’s first commercial rocket, Pathfinder. NovaUCD-based Celtonn also announced it had joined European space-tech business accelerator Cassini, to accelerate its growth.
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