UKSEDS is the national student space society, which I chaired from March 2018 to March 2019. It has around 40 branches at universities across the country and every year attracts around 400 students and professionals from industry to the National Student Space Conference.

The society is a registered charity and also engages young people and the wider public by running and attending outreach and careers events. SpaceCareers.uk is a project of UKSEDS that has brought hugely valuable careers information to hundreds of thousands of people since its launch in December 2015.

UKSEDS also regularly interacts with figures from industry and government to ensure that the needs of students are being met across the space sector. This ensures that UKSEDS is aware of what skills companies are looking for in young students so they can be incorporated into UKSEDS’ competitions and events. Interaction with government bodies like the UK Space Agency reminds them of the importance of students to the space sector’s development and encourages development from the top down of activities that enhance students’ employability, such as the Space Placements in Industry programme.