With the growing skills gap in the industry, promoting STEM education among young people and inspiring the new generations to pursue aerospace careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is vital for the market’s continued growth and development.

Companies, such as thyssenkrupp Materials UK - a leading materials supplier and supply chain solutions provider that invests in the latest technology and develops custom solutions for the sector, understand the need for young talent to drive innovation better than anyone. Therefore, thyssenkrupp Materials UK has announced the sponsorship of the educational summer programme – Mission Discovery.

Mission Discovery is a NASA-backed space camp where students from around the world spend a week working in teams under the guidance of astronauts, NASA personnel, rocket scientists and world-renowned professors. The goal is to design an experiment, which could benefit the human race, whether it is on Earth, the Space Station, the Moon, Mars or beyond. With the help of the NASA role models, students finish the week by presenting their idea to the Mission Discovery judges. The best experiment is selected, built at NASA and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) to be conducted by the astronauts on board.

To support this remarkable program, promote STEM education in the industry and gratify its employees, thyssenkrupp Materials UK has sponsored 3 incredible students from its employees’ network to take part in Mission Discovery. The students are enthusiastic about the space industry and excited to participate in such an engaging programme. One student has already been nominated by their school to attend the European Space Centre in Brussels. Others have been selected to represent their school in team challenge competitions in maths and enjoy university-level aerospace books and watching 12-hour streams, following the progress of companies like SpaceX and Astra.

Furthermore, Billy Kingsbury – CEO at thyssenkrupp Materials UK, delivered an insightful presentation to the students on the third day of the programme at King’s College London, explaining the extensive supply chains behind aircraft manufacturing. The students learned more about overcoming the material challenges and supply chain management in the aerospace industry, and got informed about the vast variety of careers supporting the sector.

Kingsbury commented: “It’s important to us to support the upcoming generations and help them understand the importance of the aerospace industry and how exciting and rewarding a career within the sector can be. Having had a first-hand experience with presenting at the Mission Discovery programme, we saw the need to promote it further and discuss future collaborative opportunities for the overall development of young people within the aerospace industry. Greater knowledge programmes, certifications, and practical courses will be of vital importance to close the skills gap and take up on further digitalisation and untapped opportunities in the sector.”

www.thyssenkrupp-materials.co.uk