Launching Space Careers: Bill West & the Space Workforce Institute

Susan Wise:
Hi, and welcome to Stars Launch Pod, Space Technology and Research Sciences, brought to you by StarSciences.org — where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. I’m your host, Susan Wise, and joining us this time is Bill West. Bill is the Executive Director at the Space Workforce Institute. Welcome to the show, Bill.

Bill West:
Thanks, Susan. It’s an honor to be here — to be on your show and share whatever I can for the benefit of the space industry.

Susan Wise:
Awesome! Yes, we’d like to talk about that. I’d like to know a little bit more about you, if you can share, and also what you’re currently working on to further the space industry.

Bill West:
Yeah, absolutely. So, I’m relatively new to the space industry — as of about a year ago. I’ve spent my career in professional credentialing, creating workforce standards, professional credentials, and licenses for almost any profession you can think of — from board-certified doctors to funeral directors to cybersecurity professionals.

The reason I came on board to help lead the Space Workforce Institute was to bring that expertise to the space industry — developing new workforce standards and credentials. I’ve been in the credentialing field for over 30 years or so, and it’s been very exciting to learn this new world and hopefully make an impact.

As for what I’m currently working on at the Space Workforce Institute, I’m helping the space industry build a resilient workforce. And by “resilient,” I mean a workforce that can support the needs of the rapidly growing and expanding space economy — implementing the programs needed to continually upskill and reskill the professionals who are driving it.

There are currently between 10,000 and 20,000 open jobs in the space economy, and we’ll need to add another 250,000 or so in the coming years if we’re really going to achieve the projected $2–$4 trillion market size.

And as you know, all but a handful of those 250,000 people aren’t astronauts — they’re professionals with every kind of skill set and trade experience you can imagine.

So, as I mentioned, my team and the leadership at the Space Workforce Institute have developed workforce standards and credentialing programs for many professions, and now we’re bringing that to the space economy — becoming the vendor-neutral standards body that brings the industry together: commercial, government, academia, associations, and workforce boards.

Our goal is to identify and set job role standards, along with the associated professional credentialing programs. Credentials are critical.

Susan Wise:
What types of credentials are we looking at?

Bill West:
Yeah, great question, Susan. These include certificate and certification programs that help professionals demonstrate specialized knowledge. For example, you might be a project manager, but you could earn a certificate that designates you as a specialist in space projects, or earn a foundational certificate in rocket launch technology.

These programs help align academic programs with industry standards and help employers set HR strategies for hiring and advancement based on people’s qualifications.

Susan Wise:
The space industry is only going to grow — and it’s getting bigger, especially since we have our eyes on the Moon and on Mars. There are going to be a lot of new jobs to fill, I’m sure. Looking back, what has been your biggest “aha” moment?

Bill West:
Yeah, the “aha” moment for me was realizing how much “gap training” is going on — that employers are having to implement custom training programs to bring space context to professionals or new graduates entering the industry.

As is the case with so many rapidly advancing sectors, traditional educational pathways just aren’t keeping up with 21st-century workforce skills, and they often lack clear bridging programs to bring in talent from other sectors.

The space industry actually combines elements from almost every field you can think of — engineering, cybersecurity, non-destructive testing, welding, and more. Each of these verticals has professional programs with credentials, but very few have specializations for space, creating a real gap.

One of our advisory board members, Doug Loverro — who’s well known in the industry — said that a significant problem is that aerospace programs often lack the “space” part of aerospace.

Many employer groups I’ve met with — from large commercial suppliers to agencies and startups — have indicated that one of their biggest challenges is providing this kind of training. You might be an engineer or a cybersecurity professional, but you don’t necessarily understand what that means in a space context. So, companies end up creating all these “gap” training programs.

That realization was a big aha moment for me — but the exciting part is, we can address it.

Susan Wise:
I’m sure you’ve faced challenges. What’s one of your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome it?

Bill West:
My biggest challenge — and one I haven’t completely overcome yet — is around awareness and involvement.

It’s about making people aware that foundational programs exist, and getting more people engaged in creating the needed credentials. Our mission of building a resilient workforce has been validated repeatedly — the need is recognized — but then life goes on. It’s a busy industry.

With so many exciting opportunities, it’s hard to get attention focused on pausing to build and access workforce development tools that make the industry more efficient, retain talent, and grow the workforce.

But we’re making progress — little by little. We have an outstanding advisory board made up of top experts in space, credentialing, and learning. We’re becoming embedded in K–12 and higher education, and we stand ready to build.

Susan Wise:
Do you seek out talent — for example, by going to colleges or universities?

Bill West:
Yes. What we want to do is help universities embed professional credentials or align their training with what the industry has identified as needed standards.

We’re also working with employers to identify gaps. Because if we’re going to solve this workforce skills shortage, we need everyone involved — creating pathways early on from K–12, and also opening doors for people from other industries who had no idea they could get into the space economy.

Susan Wise:
Right! They might think, “I’ve studied this and done that for years, but I had no idea it would cross over.” It might just take a little training and focus to utilize those skills. That’s fascinating and exciting.

Do you have a piece of advice you’d like to share with our listeners?

Bill West:
Yes — and I’ll borrow this from one of my advisory board members: Don’t forget the people.

Too often, especially in the space industry, all the attention and investment goes into technology, infrastructure, and research. But if you don’t invest in the people — from early on — creating the pathways into the industry, it’s all for nothing.

It’s arguably the biggest risk to the space industry right now: Are we developing enough professionals to enable all the great things we know can happen?

We talk a lot about sustainability and reusability — and that’s important — but part of that sustainability has to include people: developing and retaining the workforce needed to advance the industry.

Susan Wise:
Right. As far as a passion project — either past or present — is there something you’d like to share with our listeners?

Bill West:
Sure. On a personal level, it’s about investing in people — helping men become better husbands, fathers, leaders, and colleagues.

Professionally, it’s very similar: helping advance lives and careers by creating professional pathways. Credentials really do open doors and create opportunities for people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Equity gaps still persist in who’s attaining four-year degrees, but there are other pathways into the space industry that many people would never imagine.

I’ve talked to welders and non-destructive testing specialists who had no idea there was a pathway into space — that their existing competencies could be enhanced with a space context to start a whole new career in a really exciting industry.

Susan Wise:
Is this done online or in person — at a specific location?

Bill West:
Another great question. It’s actually all of the above.

Our credential exams can be taken online securely and remotely. We also have authorized partners — like Nova Space and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs — that provide the training programs leading up to these credentials.

So, there are many ways to get the training you need.

Susan Wise:
This is exciting — there are jobs to be filled!

Bill West:
Yes, absolutely.

Susan Wise:
Okay, tell us how people can reach out to you.

Bill West:
Absolutely. The easiest way is through our website: spaceworkforceinstitute.org. It’s long, but self-explanatory.

There you can see the variety of credentials we offer, our authorized learning partners, and how you can get involved.

We build these programs with input from subject matter experts across the industry — commercial enterprises, government, academia, and more — to define and standardize roles.

Or, you can reach out to me directly at bill@spaceworkforceinstitute.org. I’m happy to talk with anyone interested.

Susan Wise:
I love your story, and I love what this is about. It’s exciting for a lot of people. I’ll definitely pass this along and make sure we include your website.

Hey, Bill, thank you so much for sharing your story and all of this with us. It’s very exciting, and I’m thrilled about the future of space and what we’ll be seeing and doing next.

Bill West:
Absolutely. Thank you, Susan. It’s been a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me on — I appreciate your great work and the opportunity to talk with your audience.

Susan Wise:
All right — Bill West, Executive Director at the Space Workforce Institute. Join us as we connect, collaborate, and accelerate. And don’t forget — you can join StarSciences.org and receive a free one-year membership by using the promo code FRIENDS321.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and subscribe. Until next time — keep looking up!