Evaluation: Inspiration programme
See an evaluation conducted into the UK Space Agency's Inspiration programme, commissioned in 2023.
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During 2023-2025, the UK Space Agency’s Inspiration programme aimed to build and strengthen a diverse workforce to support the UK space sector’s growth and resilience. The programme consisted of a) Space to Inspire: engaging children, parents/carers and the public with space and STEM; b) Space to Learn: supporting teachers and students in contextualising STEM subjects and providing informal learning about space and careers and c) Skills for Space: supporting further/higher education students and the existing and prospective space sector workforce with accessible career opportunities.
During a 6-month fieldwork period (May 2024 to January 2025), the programme reached nearly 946,000 people through 1,942 activities aimed at engaging participants with space and STEM. Whilst it should be noted the sample was not representative of all participants, results suggested:
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97% of participants in Inspiration programme activities had a positive experience;
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84% showed interest in studying science; 60% were ‘quite’ or ‘very’ interested in pursuing a space career
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82% of teachers reported more hands-on learning, motivating many of them to include more practical activities in their lessons and improving students’ skills.
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97% of teachers reported they were likely to recommend UK Space Agency funded activities to other teachers
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Over 80% of teachers reported improvements in pupils’ STEM skills and competencies.
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Support from space sector role models increased participants’ confidence; 95% of teachers rated students’ engagement with role models as very positive.
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79% of Space Placements in Industry interns rated their placement satisfaction as at least 8 out of 10, (with 32% rating their experience as 10/10).
Interns gained valuable technical and transferable skills; while industry hosts benefited from improved skills and positive impacts on their company’s reputation.
Overall, participants we engaged with reported the Inspiration programme increased interest, confidence, and awareness of space careers, laying the groundwork for a more diverse and skilled future workforce.