Post on 22-Jan-2015
description
SpaceTEC Presentation06 May 2008
Meet Garret, Kristen, Aaron and Nick
Last fall we created a presentation that
sparked a conversation about strategic
communications at …
010010100100... it went viral, got people talking…
... and fostered a healthy discussion
about the aerospace workforce!
Today, we’re going to share with you some original content from the “Generation Y Perspectives” presentation, as well as some data and thoughts about the aerospace workforce.
When we talk to our friends about our careers in the aerospace industry
they think
that we are
rocket
scientists
and
astronauts
because we work here,
but truthfully, we tend to work just as much here.
Last week, we interacted with people from here …
… friends, family, classmates, colleagues, even strangers.
They all wanted to know more about
what we do at NASA.TM
So we got to thinking…
Why aren’t they connected to NASA?
Why isn’t an entire generation
connecting to NASA?
We are part of Generation Y.
This presentation is our perspective.
(But keep in mind that our generation will be asked to pay the majority of the tax bill for the vision for space exploration)
That’s $124B through the first lunar landing (FY06–FY18).
NASA has a brand and a message.
We don’t want to talk about that.
We want to talk about why our generation isn’t connecting to it.
Because we are not connecting to it…
…young
people, both
inside and
outside of
NASA.
And we think we SHOULD connect to it.
…to everyone.
Because what NASA does is important.
We are here because
of the pioneers before us
accomplished awe-inspiring
achievements and initiatives.
development.
operations.
science.human spaceflight.
research.their legacy is…
but a lot has changedin the world
since the inception ofNASA
Society is more
connectedand
collaborative
than ever before.
The world is connected today in ways
that are shattering traditional
communications concepts.
As we move
forward in human space exploration,
we believe it will take the
collaboration of all
collaboration
Experiences
Perspectives
Generations
to lead humanity
on new
explorations
into the
solar system.
And NASA is in a position to lead the world in exploring those new frontiers.
Engaging people in this exploration is not just an opportunity.
It is a responsibility.
01 Defining a Generation
Roughly speaking, Generation Y is defined as -
20001977
831
< Birth Date >
< Current Age >
There are over 70 million people in the U.S. belonging to Generation Y
And just like the Baby Boomers, Gen Y is a large group of people that is IMPACTING society
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Birt
hs (
in t
hous
ands
)
Birth Year
Baby Boomers
Gen YGen X
Is NASA ready?
47%and is projected to be 47% of the workforce by 2014.
25%Generation Y is currently 25% of the workforce
After giving the original presentation,
we noticed that this discussion is
bigger than just one generation.
It’s a “NextGen” workforce issue.
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Birt
hs (
in t
hous
ands
)
Birth Year
Baby Boomers
Next Gen
The younger workforce is at an all time low.
compared to 16% at NASA.
47% of the USworkforce is under age 40.
compared to 4% at NASA.
25% of the USworkforce is under age 30.
A hiring “freeze” resulted in an 8 year gap in the 1970’s (~1971-1979).We’re currently 15 years into what may be a 22 year gap (1993-2015).
0
200
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1200
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
45-54
55-64
# of
em
ploy
ees
For example, here’s the profile at NASA Johnson Space Center for the workforce ages 45-64…
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
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2008
2009
30-3425-29
<24
# of
em
ploy
ees
… compare that with the profile of the younger workforce ages <34.
Gen Y starts entering work force
I ndustry Age Profiles
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69
Five-year Age Bands
Perc
enta
ge o
f C
oll
ege-E
duca
ted W
ork
forc
e
Total U.S. Workforce
NASA
Aerospace Industry
IT & Telecom
Finance and Financial Services
All Other Science and TechnologyIndustries
And NASA is Notably Different…The data is hard to break down by specific “hi-tech” industries, but available data does show that NASA is old by comparison
No NASA Center Breaks the TrendAll centers have nearly identical age profiles
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%2
0 t
o 2
4
25
to 2
9
30
to 3
4
35
to 3
9
40
to 4
4
45
to 4
9
50
to 5
4
55
to 5
9
60
to 6
4
65
to 6
9
70
or
old
er
Five-Year Age Band
Perc
en
tag
e o
f W
ork
forc
e(C
S F
TP
or
JPL W
YE)
JSC 23%
JPL 23%
SSC 23%
GSFC 20%
KSC 20%
DFRC 18%
HQ 16%
LARC 12%
MSFC 12%
ARC 11%
GRC 10%
NASA
Centers and their percentage workforce under age 40.
NASA is Hiring Older EmployeesDespite best efforts, is next-generation hiring actually a priority?
Average Age of NASA Hiring
25
30
35
40
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Fiscal Year
Avera
ge A
ge o
f H
ires
Full-time Permanent Hires
All Hires
Too Long for Management Experience?
Today’s workforce needs 10 years more time in NASA to get management experience (compared to the workforce just 15 years ago)
NASA S&E Supervisory Workforce
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64
Age
Civ
il S
erv
an
t F
TP
(F
TE
)
FY1994FY1996FY1998FY2000FY2002FY2004FY2006FY2008-Q2
Apollo generation retirement in mid-
1990's
Supervisory status as indicator of delayed growth in leadership
skillset
Are we engaging the NextGen?
We recognize that there is always the tyranny of the urgent.
NASA faces major challenges with the STS retirement, startup of the Constellation Program, and follow through with the Exploration Mission.
But we need to focus on strategic workforce issues.
The agency is facing a human spaceflight gap and we are heading into that gap with a young workforce that has it’s own experience gap.
Combined, these respected gaps constitute a unique coupling of problems; the 1970’s experience gap could pale in comparison to the impact of today’s gap.
02 Perspectives
As a whole, people of Generation Y are not
interested in space exploration.
This is a FACT.
A majority of Gen Y between 18 and 24
Are not aware or not engaged in NASA’s mission
40%Forty percent oppose NASA’s mission
39%Thirty Nine percent believe that nothing worthwhile has come out of NASA.
If our generation is asked to pay the majority of the tax bill for the vision for space exploration, we need to be engaged in NASA’s mission.
Characteristics that define our generation …
WiredMobileGlobal Multi-taskingExpecting Instant InformationEmpoweredLikes MentorsQuickly BoredInterdependentImpatient if delayed……but highly adaptableAttracted to large social movements
And there are a lot of things that made us the way we are.
We were the first generation to grow up
with cable in our homes
…Studies say this leads to
shorter attention spans
…And chronic boredom.
We are used to DIVERSITY
…after all, we grew up in diverse environments.
We grew up with
TALK SHOWS
And REALITY TV.
For our generation, TV is not passive entertainment
it is an interactive experience!
And our lives and outlooks have been shaped by this.
“Anyone can be a star …”
“Everyone deserves to have their say.”
“Getting heard and having a say are not only easy, they seem natural.”
Wait! You just described my generation.
Maybe there are some similarities. But there are very important differences.
Such as different formative experiences.
Civil Rights
The Feminist Movement
Gay Rights
Handicapped Rights
The Right to Privacy
And,
Vietnam
The Cold War
The “Big Three” TV networks
The Kennedy and King Assassinations
Baby Boomers were shaped by:
Rock Music
Generation Y has been shaped by:
Columbine
The 2000 Election Crisis
9-11
Cable
Reality TV
The Iraq War
Terrorism
Internet
Columbia Accident
Cell Phones
Gaming
Starbucks
And those life experiences made us:Lack trust in corporations and government
Focus on personal successHave a short-term career perspective
Gets easily boredExtremely independent
See no clear boundary between work and life Empowered and optimistic
Sacrifice economic rewards for work-life balanceExpect to work anytime, anyplace
Connect with people in new and distinctive waysComfortable with globalizationRacially and culturally diverse
03 Rules of Engagement
Our generation communicates in an entirely new way.
The traditional concept of
top-down, one-way communications strategy
is dead.
(It is NOT dying. It is dead.)
Our generation is not interested in the space industry because:
We don’t see the point.
We don’t understand the facts.
We can’t participate.
So how do you reach an
entire generation
with a brand and message?
First, better understand the audience
Then focus on getting us interested again
Instead of telling us what you want us to hear …
Facilitate a discussion and allow us to
participate in your organizations mission
Spark conversations
But please be timely
Share your compelling story’s
Touch our lives in ways
familiar to us.
Example: utilize “social media”
Finally, reclaim
your image as a
leader of
innovation.
04 The Challenge
By no means is this “the answer”
…after all, who are we anyway?
Just some NextGen’rs who got
hooked by the space bug and
want to help.
What does your local NextGen’r think about the future?
There isn’t one ultimate communications strategy to solve workforce issues once and for all.
…it’d be a lot easier if there was.
So the challenge is to take this and create new ideas.
Creative Collaborative
Open
Purposeful
Because the industry we want to work for and connect to is like us:
Participatory
Bold
Exciting
Innovative
Timely
Connected
And we – our generation – want to be a part of the solution.
And it is OUR future.
Because space exploration is the future.
Everyone’s future.