The future of skills

Like so many businesses which cover multiple industry sectors and geographies, at Inmarsat we are reliant on managing our supply chain efficiently and productively. We work with some of the world’s biggest names in technology and engineering to ensure our systems remain resilient and effective.

However, while products and partners are critical to Inmarsat’s success, we are very much aware that our supply chain covers so much more. Tomorrow’s technology is a product of the minds of today’s engineers, scientists, programmers, data analysts and the many other skilled jobs which form part of our own organisation, as well as many others.

This element of future supply is critically important and one all companies should never take for granted. That’s why events such as British Science Week a 10-day festival of science, technology engineering and maths which took place last week, are so important in inspiring future generations.

The great strength of this event is that it takes the message into communities. Some 2,000 events have been registered as part of British Science Week and venues of all sizes have been hosting and engaging with enthusiasts of all ages. Science and engineering touch all our lives in so many known and less known ways and it is great to see a celebration which highlights its fundamental relevance to society.

However, this is just part of the solution. Demonstrating the link between what the lessons in the classroom can mean to life in the boardroom is equally important in showing students at school or university that their studies can be applied in many different ways. It is the role of industry leaders to enthuse and to inspire and there should never be a mindset that young people will automatically want to follow a certain career path. We need to guide them.

At Inmarsat, we recognise a responsibility to demonstrate how critical the application of science and engineering is in our business. We need the next generation of employees for our own, as well as the industry’s future sustainability.

Later this year, we will unveil further details of our Technology Development Programme which will offer permanent job opportunities at Inmarsat, combined with two-year programmes of continuous learning and development that will challenge and enrich candidates’ knowledge and skills. Successful applicants will get to work across our business learning what a career in space really entails.

We must encourage and nurture our own supply chain in this way to ensure the creativity and innovation of the future is sustained.