As an apprentice, almost everything undertaken at work is part of the learning experience! As well as the internal training courses and digital learning that can be undertaken, MBDA is set up to encourage employee development. Within each placement there will be a learning and development plan agreed between you and your manager to guide your learning, and there will almost always be further opportunities within your role to develop. Mentoring is very open, with employees encouraged to build their networks themselves to best suit their requirements, although there is a formal network available.
With prior experience in aerospace and defence, and with MBDA offering a very wide range of career opportunities due to the size and global reach of the business, I knew this was the best place to be able to develop my career across different areas of work and knowledge.
Following earlier work with other defence firms as an engineer, and some time flying in the airline industry, I applied for the business apprenticeship to gain a qualification and an understanding of a new area of work. I have been fortunate to work in a varied set of placements during my career with MBDA, ensuring I can grow my knowledge of both process and people management.
The thing that surprised me most when first visiting the site was how much, certainly in Stevenage, it has a ’campus‘ feel, much like a university. The sites are large but still feel friendly, and people who work there were immediately warm and welcoming even to a new starter. Even with the ’new normal‘ working considerations, this community feeling is still present which is testimony to the job satisfaction employees have.
For me, the best sort of day is one where I’m given the freedom to approach a task in the way I see is best, and I can use my network to help solve the problem I’ve been given. MBDA is an employer that gives staff free rein to tackle challenges in their own way, which when mixed with the varied and challenging work available in project teams creates a positive and motivating work environment.
MBDA is a company that can offer someone fantastic development opportunities, whether that be within an existing career field or transitioning to a new team or department and fostering important skills there. It is a company that prides itself on encouraging employees to improve themselves and their skillset and has the breadth of work available to support that.
