Modules in the new ORBIT programme include Space Tourism and Farming from Space
The micromodules can be studied alongside students’ existing courses(Image: Submitted)
UK Space Agency funding is giving Hull students a universe of opportunities in the space industry, with a new space awareness curriculum at Hull College. ORBIT (Opening Routes Between Industry Talent) will introduce students to the huge range of career opportunities connected to space by embedding the subject into the college’s current vocational courses.
The new curriculum will comprise 12 flexible micromodules that will introduce students to jobs in the space sector. The modules have been developed by the college under a special project run by the Space Universities Network (SUN) with funding from the UK Space Agency, aiming to develop the skilled workforce needed by the UK’s space industry.
The programme has been designed so it can be made available free to colleges across the country. Rather than treating space as a standalone STEM subject, ORBIT will demonstrate its relevance across areas ranging from engineering, digital and AI, construction and manufacturing to logistics, cyber security, business, hospitality, environmental technologies, agriculture and health and care.
The modules connect space to different courses already offered at the college. Its subjects include “Satellites and Everyday Life”, “Farming from Space” and “Space Tourism”. The Farming from Space micromodule has been developed and piloted in partnership with Bishop Burton College, drawing on its specialist expertise in agriculture and related industries.
Each of these ORBIT micromodules will take around 60 to 90 minutes to complete and are digital, classroom-read online courses which end in an assessment. Colleges can introduce them without re-designing their curriculum. The space industry is expected to rely upon people who have a diverse range of vocational skills.
Debra Gray CBE, Hull College’s CEO, said: “When people think about working in space, their first thought is often astronauts or scientists. But they are really only the tip of the iceberg. The space sector needs engineers, manufacturers, digital specialists, people working in AI and cyber security, logistics, construction, business, law, healthcare and many other areas. These are exactly the kinds of skills Further Education develops every day.
“Universities are excellent at what they do. They are the innovators, researchers and pioneers in the space sector, but the missing conversation is about who is going to build, operate and maintain the infrastructure around that innovation. In 20 years, the space sector will be far more technician-based than it is today. ORBIT is about starting to build that pipeline of talent now.”
The UK space sector already includes more than 1,900 organisations and employs more than 55,000 people. Satellite services also underpin a significant proportion of the wider economy. However, Debra said many young people and adults remained unaware of the scale of the industry or the opportunities within it, while skills shortages presented a growing challenge. She said: “Space is critical national infrastructure, but for many people it still feels distant and inaccessible. There is also a major issue around who we are currently reaching.
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. Further Education is inclusive by its very nature and that means we have an enormous role to play in opening this industry up to people who may not previously have imagined that space could be for them. That includes adult learners, women returning to work, neurodivergent people, people with disabilities and those from other backgrounds which are currently under-represented within the industry. ORBIT is about aspiration as much as skills. It is about showing learners that the skills they are already developing can lead to careers they may never have considered.”
Hull College is a member of SUN, a collaborative network bringing together universities and other partners involved in space research and education. ORBIT represents an opportunity to connect that Higher Education expertise with the reach and vocational strengths of the FE sector, creating what Debra describes as the “technical layer” needed to support the future growth of the space economy. It has been selected as one of only two SUN special projects for 2026-2027.
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