Developing a new space sector careers resource based on educational research recommendations

Educational research shows participation issues across Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are due to whether students see these fields and their potential career opportunities as for “people like me”. These perceptions form early and remain relatively stable with age, which has led to recommendations for increased provision and quality of careers education/engagement at both primary and secondary levels. Space-related roles should be rife for inclusion in careers education resources. However, we find that current UK careers resources concerning the space sector do not perhaps best reflect the diversity of roles present and may in fact perpetuate misconceptions about the usefulness of science. We present the development process of a new space careers resource, detailing how we have attempted to improve the diversity of space-related careers highlighted as well as addressing the key issues and recommendations raised by recent educational research.