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National Timing Centre (NTC)

Responding to the skills shortage

Specialist skills and training in time, frequency and synchronisation

One of the key objectives of the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme is focused on responding to the specialist skills shortage in time, frequency and/or synchronisation (TFS). As a starting point, we have carried out a skills assessment, which aimed to better understand the composition of the current TFS workforce, the availability of TFS skills across topics and proficiency levels, and the requirements for future skills and training.

As part of the skills assessment, a survey was shared with NTC programme stakeholders and individuals who had previously expressed an interest in NPL’s work or the NTC programme.

The findings and recommendations of the assessment are now being analysed in more detail and are being incorporated into the NTC Training & Education Blueprint. We expect to start talking to potential collaborators about opportunities to address the UK’s TFS skills and training requirements at the end of 2020.

Key findings and recommendations of the Skills Assessment

Current TFS workforce

  • Organisations find it difficult to recruit people with the required skills and experience in TFS.
  • Within organisations, a wide range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics roles could benefit from better TFS knowledge.
  • TFS knowledge and skills are typically concentrated in a few experts.

TFS knowledge and skills needs and gaps

  • Skills gaps exist for a range of TFS topics, across all proficiency levels.
  • The importance and value of TFS knowledge and skills are not well understood outside the existing community. Increasing general awareness of TFS would benefit industry and help attract more people to the field.

 

Future demand for TFS knowledge, skills and training

  • A range of TFS training methods should be explored in the future.
  • A wide range of audiences are likely to need some TFS knowledge and skills in the future.

Skills Survey

100 responses to the NTC skills survey were received over a period of three weeks during March and April 2020.

  • 76% of respondents say that TFS skills are important to their organisation. 
  • 60% of companies have difficulty recruiting in this area, often finding it is easier to recruit people with complementary skills and then train them ‘on the job’.
  • 60% of UK-based respondents who indicated that TFS skills are important to them reported just 1-10 TFS-skilled employees within their organisation.
  • All TFS topics had significant skill gaps identified, the TFS topics ranked highest priority were ‘Satellite based TFS’ and ‘GNSS vulnerabilities’.
  • Organisations are currently very dependent on in house or on the job training, but many would be interested in external training such as courses, workshops, conferences or online training.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded to the NTC skills survey.

If you would like to tell us about your experience, please contact us

If you would like to stay up to date with the NTC programme, please let us know

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