Upwardly mobile: skills and careers in the South West's space sector

Despite the closure of Virgin Orbit, South West England’s aerospace and space engineering sector is continuing to innovate and scale-up. But skills gaps need to be addressed to fulfil its potential.

The South West is home to over 250 space-related organisations, making it the third largest UK region for the sector. Its income has also grown by an impressive 34% since 2018/19.​​​ 

The region’s aerospace heritage has laid the foundations for this growth. Bristol is home to Airbus and Rolls-Royce, with GKN Aerospace, BAE Systems, Leonardo Group, and Boeing joining them in being strategically involved in the South West. These companies are spearheading research and development efforts, particularly in emerging fields like hydrogen aviation, showcased by Airbus’ ZEROe hydrogen-powered aircraft and GKN Aerospace’s £54.4 million H2GEAR hydrogen propulsion project. Other innovators, like Reaction Engines, have also expand their presence in the area.

Education and research plays a role in supporting this rapidly emerging sector. South West universities increasingly tailor their programs to meet the evolving demands of the space engineering industry. The University of the West of England excels in areas such as robotics, materials, manufacturing, space propulsion and renewable energy applications for space. While the University of Bristol’s multidisciplinary community of over 100 space researchers contributes to various projects including Mars Lander initiatives and climate modelling using satellite data.