ASK OCE — June, 14, 2006 — Vol. 1, Issue 9

NASA needs a more strategic approach to workforce planning, hiring, and training in order to meets the needs of the President’s Vision for Space Exploration, according to an interim report by the National Research Council.

As NASA faces the challenges posed by the Vision for Space Exploration, it should develop a workforce strategy for the next 5 to 15 years, the National Research Council (NRC) concluded. In order to get the workforce it needs, the Agency will have to develop innovative methods for attracting and retaining employees, and it should work to obtain greater flexibilities for hiring, transfers, training, and reductions where necessary. The NRC also recommended expanding Agency-wide training and development, mentoring programs, and opportunities for developing hands-on experience, particularly for critical disciplines such as systems engineering.

The assessment was the result of a direct request by NASA’s Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E), which asked the National Research Council (NRC) to “explore long-range science and technology workforce needs to achieve the Vision for Space Exploration, identify obstacles to filling those needs, and explore solutions for consideration by government, academia, and industry.” The NRC convened a Committee on Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration to analyze these issues.

The interim report, “Issues Affecting the Future of the U.S. Space Science and Engineering Workforce,” is a summary of highlights from a January 2006 workshop and a February 2006 committee meeting on the future of the U.S. aerospace space science and engineering workforce. The final report will incorporate analysis of additional data, including NASA’s Systems Engineering and Institutional Transition Team (SEITT) report.