Name: Jemma Fettes
Age: 24
Job Title: Mechanical Engineering Graduate
University Attended: Manchester University
Degree Obtained: MEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Introduction

I was lucky enough to have gone through an assessment centre before I went through the BAE Systems version so I had some idea of what to expect. After the initial presentation we got to chat to some of the existing graduates which was really useful and they were very helpful, friendly and positive about the graduate schemes. The assessment centre was a challenging experience, but really enjoyable, and decisions are communicated quickly.

There were three main factors that attracted me to BAE Systems; (1) the range of opportunities available in the graduate scheme, (2) the company reputation for being at the forefront of technology and (3) having the opportunity to drive my own development. I joined BAE Systems in September 2004 as a Mechanical Engineering Graduate within the Land Systems business unit, on the Graduate Development Framework.

Range of Projects

The GDF is a two year scheme, usually consisting of four placements lasting six months each, and is designed to ensure that by the time you’ve finished you have a broad range of experiences in the business and are competent to take on a position of responsibility. I have also taken up the opportunity to work towards Chartership whilst on the scheme. This means that you are assigned a mentor with whom you have regular meetings checking your progress towards mastering the competencies you need as an engineer.

My first placement involved working on a project to modify the new M777 gun to UK Ministry of Defence Specifications. I learnt a new CAD system, improved my concept design skills, made recommendations to senior managers and got to understand the difficulties of working in a design environment, especially working with our partners Sea Cat.

Responsibility

In my second placement, I was given my own project to manage, controlling both the time and budget of a £1.5 million manufacturing cell. This was a big responsibility and provided a very steep learning curve when writing justifications and helping to plan the cells. Despite all the hard work I loved it, every day brought a new challenge and I was a valued member of the team.

In my third placement I was responsible for helping reorder the business management systems that govern Land Systems, analysing training requirements, planning the distribution of the training budget and helping with the introduction of the new field of Knowledge Management. This placement was very interesting as it gave me an insight into the difficulties facing management, particularly within change management.

In my final placement I now get to drive the commissioning of the plants, which I helped manage earlier on in the scheme. It’s challenging work again, dealing with quality and operations but again it’s worthwhile and you feel you make a real difference.

Key Development

The commitment to development within BAE Systems was fundamental to my decision to join the company. The support provided for graduates ensures that you have many opportunities including the ability to have placements abroad, at different sites, business units and even outside of the business if you can show added value. There is also high level of support for graduates and senior management seem genuinely interested in your opinions and your future and they ensure that if you are interested in a particular development need and it has relevance to your job you get it.

Valuing Individuals

I have had opportunities to visit several different sites within the company and speak to people from across the business, and wherever I go there is a strong culture of everyone’s opinion being valid and each person being an important part of the whole. The people I’ve worked with have all been committed to helping me develop, not just as an employee but as a person too. The company uses the intranet, company newsletters, regular team briefs, and opinion surveys to make sure that company communication really happens.

The graduate community ensures that there is a good support network in place, both at work and socially. There are regular company run graduate get-togethers and you are encouraged to network in your own time, often leading to some quite interesting socials. I couldn’t have asked for a more interesting or challenging company to work within, nor could I have worked with more supportive or approachable people.