Future-Proofing Telecoms: Bridging the UK’s Skills Gap in RF & Microwave Systems for a Resilient Open RAN Future

Tom Drew, Recruitment Lead

28/05/2025

As the UK accelerates toward its 5G and 6G ambitions, radio frequency (RF) and microwave technologies remain foundational to the performance, security, and sovereignty of national telecom infrastructure. Yet, a widening skills gap threatens to undermine the UK’s leadership in this domain. The CSA Catapult Workforce Foresighting Report (May 2025), developed in collaboration with the Workforce Foresighting Hub, delivers a strategic roadmap to address these workforce challenges and align future capabilities with industry demand, particularly for Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) systems.

This foresighting cycle identifies workforce capability gaps, mismatches in education provision, and the need for systemic changes across academia, industry, and government. Here is an in-depth look at its insights and the actions required.

Why This Report Matters

The RF and microwave sector supports the UK’s telecoms, aerospace, defence, space and satellite industries—all critical to economic resilience and national security. The UK telecoms industry alone generated £33.8 billion in 2022, and the defence sector contributed over £28 billion in 2023. Compound semiconductors, essential to RF systems, are expected to underpin technologies from advanced radar to quantum communication networks.

However, national capacity is threatened by declining domestic engineering talent, lack of educational alignment, and an overdependence on international recruitment, especially in advanced design, cybersecurity, and system architecture roles.

What is Open RAN

Open RAN is an ongoing shift in mobile network architectures that enables service providers the use of non-proprietary subcomponents from a variety of vendors. An Open RAN, or open radio access network, is made possible by a set of industry-wide standards that telecom suppliers can follow when producing related equipment. Open RAN enables programmable, intelligent, disaggregated, virtualised, and interoperable functions. Specifically, the proprietary remote radio head (RRH) and baseband units (BBUs) are now disaggregated to radio units (RUs), distributed units (DUs), and centralised units (CUs).

Core Insights from the Workforce Foresighting Cycle

1. A Critical Skills Shortage in High-Frequency Systems

The study highlights a deepening shortage of skilled engineering personnel at every level—technicians, engineers, researchers—across the RF and microwave spectrum.

Only 13% of electrical and electronic engineering university acceptances in 2023 were female, underlining a persistent diversity gap. (Redline's Women in Engineering research)
The domestic pipeline is insufficient, with heavy reliance on overseas talent for RF, wireless, photonics, and quantum roles.
An ageing workforce compounds this challenge, risking loss of institutional knowledge unless succession planning is urgently prioritised.

2. Education Provision is Misaligned with Industry Needs

A significant insight is the mismatch between current educational pathways and the skills needed for emerging roles. Analysis reveals low alignment between most apprenticeship standards and the Future Occupational Profiles (FOPs) identified by the foresighting cycle.

Roles such as RF Cybersecurity Specialist, Quantum RF Engineer, and RF Systems Architect are not adequately supported by existing UK educational standards, especially at Levels 3–6 (technician to senior engineer). While universities like Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, and Imperial College offer relevant modules, there is no consistent integration of emerging competencies into mainstream education.

3. Open RAN is Driving a Fundamental Industry Shift

Open RAN replaces proprietary telecom systems with interoperable, modular alternatives—unlocking competition and innovation but demanding a new workforce skillset. Successful implementation depends on:

Seamless integration of secure, energy-efficient RF systems.
AI-enabled diagnostics and real-time performance monitoring.
Advanced cybersecurity embedded at the hardware-software interface.
A national compound semiconductor foundry to mitigate global supply chain risks.

Despite investments like the UK Government’s £452 million “Future Network Programmes” and the acquisition of Octric Semiconductors, a projected £25 billion funding gap for complete 5G rollout by 2030 remains a major hurdle.

Emerging Occupational Profiles and Skills Needs

The foresighting workshops identified several priority FOPs that reflect new roles essential for system-level innovation in RF and microwave domains:

RF Systems Architect – Responsible for end-to-end system integration and long-term resilience planning.
RF & Microwave Design Engineer – Expert in analog/digital hybrid designs, MMICs, and frequency-domain optimisation.
RF Cybersecurity Specialist – Focused on electromagnetic resilience and secure data transmission.
Quantum RF Engineer – Operating at the frontier of quantum-secured networks and ultra-fast synchronisation.
RF Integration & Packaging Engineer – Skilled in miniaturisation, heat dissipation, and high-efficiency packaging.
Antenna & Propagation Engineer – Ensuring signal integrity and coverage optimisation.
RF Test & Validation Technician – Specialising in real-time system diagnostics and environmental compliance.

These RF / Microwave design engineering roles require integrated knowledge of software-defined networking, compound semiconductors (such GaAs, InP), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and AI-enhanced monitoring skills not currently emphasised in standard curricula.

Forecasts and Industry Trends

Market Growth: The UK’s telecom test and measurement market is projected to reach $670 million by 2032, with RF innovations at its core.
Infrastructure Investment: Global 5G investments are expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030, opening major export opportunities for UK tech businesses.
Shift in Organisational Capabilities: The industry will see a redistribution of effort, from implementation and support to design, logistics, and data governance functions.

Companies across the supply chain, from semiconductor manufacturers to system integrators, must prepare for this evolution by building organisational competencies in interoperability, predictive maintenance, and compliance.

Key Actions and Recommendations

1. Reform and Expand Educational Pathways

Develop new apprenticeship standards specifically mapped to future RF occupations, in coordination with IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) and devolved administrations.
Reshape post-16 STEM curricula to include systems thinking, AI, cybersecurity, and photonics.
Create modular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs to enable agile upskilling and reskilling, especially for mid-career professionals in adjacent industries.

2. Immediate Industry Mobilisation

Employers must partner with educational institutions to co-design work-integrated learning programs.
Industry associations should raise awareness among educators and students about RF careers and associated demand.
Launch pilot short courses (20-credit modules) that can stack into full degrees or be delivered as stand-alone upskilling offerings.

3. Coordinated National Leadership

Establish a national working group of employers, universities, Innovate UK, and skills bodies to validate and refine FOPs.
Appoint a sector champion to advocate for funding, campaign visibility, and cross-sector alignment.
Explore further trends and future events in adjacent domains like AI orchestration, supply chain security, and quantum communication.

Conclusion: Enabling a Future-Ready Workforce for Secure Telecoms

This report is a clarion call for strategic investment in the UK’s high-frequency telecom ecosystem. Without rapid and targeted action, the UK risks losing ground in global telecom leadership, facing deployment delays, skill-based bottlenecks, and dependency on foreign suppliers.

But with aligned educational reform, stakeholder collaboration, and foresighted investment, the UK can:

Secure its position as a global hub for Open RAN innovation.
Strengthen sovereign capability in telecommunications and defence.
Unlock high-value careers for a diverse new generation of engineers and technicians.

This transformation starts with skills. And the time to act is now.

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