Skip to main content

Issues Affecting the Future of the U.S. Space Science and Engineering Workforce Interim Report (2006) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

4 Factors Affecting the Aerospace S&E Workforce
Pages 22-28

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 22...
... SHIPBUILDING AS A MODEL FOR NASA PLANNING John Birkler, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, discussed several RAND studies of shipbuilding in the United Kingdom that present illuminating parallels for NASA's workforce planning. The committee was particularly struck by the parallels between the United Kingdom's shipbuilding experience during the past decade and NASA's skill retention and believes that it offers valuable lessons for the space agency.
Read the entire page →
From page 23...
... The NRC committee found that: · The IT labor market is complex and dynamic: occupations change content, and the needs of industry change rapidly; · Government labor market data often do not tell us enough about the current labor market; · There are a number of important dimensions to the IT labor market; · Mechanisms by which workers acquire skills and employers accept them are not that clear; learning on the job is best; and · In the IT workforce are many workers who do not have IT degrees. Barnow offered several lessons applicable to the current study of workforce capacity to implement the vision for space exploration, including the following: · Circumstances can change rapidly; the IT bubble burst less than 2 years after completion of the NRC's IT workforce study.
Read the entire page →
From page 24...
... Among the parallels, he noted that both peaked 30 to 40 years ago, both are currently experiencing a modest to significant revival, both look for international collaboration, both are experiencing "competition" from abroad, and both look to significant S&E human resource expansions for success. Furthermore, NASA will need a healthy nuclear engineering community as exploration moves to Mars and beyond, and nuclear systems have played an important role in NASA's robotic interplanetary exploration program.
Read the entire page →
From page 25...
... companies possessing a multinational workforce and that the agency should resolve discrepancies between State Department and NASA interpretation of ITAR. In addition, Douglass recommended that NASA should look at industry practices as a model to train and transfer skilled workers to meet current priorities, develop a mentoring program utilizing the current and retired knowledge base, develop a program management and systems engineering and integration training program, create a transition plan by mapping needed skill sets, and look at ways to supplement its workforce from outside sources.
Read the entire page →
From page 26...
... will require revolutionary efforts; · Attracting experienced, mid-career S&E workers from the private sector in the "right" skill sets (e.g., in systems engineering and project management) ; · Revisiting in-house versus contractor roles (especially because industry has more flexibility to hire and change its workforce makeup)
Read the entire page →
From page 27...
... Perception Potential employees need to be convinced that the vision for space exploration is an exciting effort, that it is sustainable, that they can play an important role, that they can receive training or experiences that will help in future jobs, and that their potential co-workers and managers are committed. Furthermore, potential employees will need to be convinced that the state of all of the above will be better than that for non-vision-for-space-exploration aerospace positions and not worse than that for other, nonaerospace jobs.
Read the entire page →
From page 28...
... As one workshop participant noted, if prospective employees believe that they lack assurance that the space exploration vision is stable enough for them to build a substantial portion of their career working for it, then the situation is unstable. Availability Key vacancies need to be open for competition (thereby creating an environment that encourages and facilitates the movement of NASA employees into industry for developmental work experience assignments, the movement of industry employees into NASA where they can mentor NASA employees, and the subsequent return of these employees to their original institutions)
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • exploration vision
  • space exploration
  • skill sets
  • labor market
  • crew exploration

  • exploration vehicle
  • nuclear reactor
  • nuclear engineering
  • potential employees
  • workforce transitions

  • space shuttle
  • current workforce
  • workforce issues
  • space research
  • reactor program

  • shuttle program
  • nasa employees
  • nasa planning
  • burns called
  • undergraduate astronomy

  • human capital
  • human resource
  • core capabilities
  • transitions requires
  • birkler noted

  • launch vehicle
  • nasa workforce
  • including nasa
  • producing nuclear
  • nasa engineers


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.