STEM careers given boost by UK Space Agency

The UK Space Agency has awarded funding to 15 projects across the UK with the aim of inspiring the next generation into STEM careers.

The Agency’s Space for All fund aims to inspire young people from all backgrounds to pursue STEM education and attract talent to the UK space sector.   

Just over a £1 million will go to programmes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  

The fund is part of the UK Space Agency’s £12 million Inspiration programme which delivers multiple long-lasting interventions and opportunities across the UK, engaging with parents, teachers, club leaders, and role models, as well as young people themselves.

Professor Anu Ojha, director of Championing Space at the UK Space Agency, said: "As part of the UK Space Agency’s long-term investment in space education and skills, our Space for All funding is backing projects that will engage young people from all backgrounds across the UK.

"Through long lasting interventions we aim to demonstrate the value of space to everyday life and the broad range of exciting future careers available, through STEM pathways and wider."

One of the projects to receive funding is Mathematics in Education and Industry's Big Earth Data Project in Wiltshire, which provides a suite of hands-on activities designed to introduce young people to the many applications of satellite data and develop skills in exploring large Earth observation datasets by becoming data scientists.

Activities will focus on the engaging contexts of climate change, the effects of humans on the Earth, and emergency disaster response. Designed for Key Stage 3-4 and Key Stage 4-5 students, the activities will be free to access by anyone.

In Wales, Cardiff's Space in the Community project by Techniquest has a mission to embed science in Welsh culture through interactive engagement.

Through immersive experiences on-site, and through their community outreach, they aim to play a pivotal role in encouraging young people in Wales to enter science and technology careers.

This new project will take the wonders of space to families, children and young people across South Wales, targeting areas of high deprivation and playing a key role in developing science capital.