I studied mechanical engineering at university and wanted to move into project management. Working in defence, and especially with submarines really appealed to me it’s very different from what a lot of engineering jobs involve day to day. Ultimately, it was the interview for the Graduate Programme that made me decide I really wanted to work here. The people interviewing me made me feel at ease and I just really enjoyed the experience. When they answered my questions about the training and development opportunities it was obvious that the business cared about people development which is something I'm really passionate about.
Since my first day I've really enjoyed working with the people here, and obviously the product is really interesting. For the majority of my graduate programme I was a project manager in the Common Combat Systems Version 4 (CCSv4) programme, which looks at all the functionality that enables submarine navigation, sonar detection, weapons control and so on – everything it needs to perform. It was really exciting, with tight deadlines and a lot of senior management involvement. It was great to be part of such an important and impactful project, collaborating with lots of different teams and meeting lots of new people.
To help with my personal and professional development, I’ve gotten involved with some of our Employee Resource Groups, which support colleagues from all kinds of diverse backgrounds. I’m part of Embrace, which focuses on cultural and ethnic diversity, and I'm also part of the Sustainability Working Group, which was actually founded by a handful of graduates a few years ago and its numbers are growing fast. Groups like these show that the business is trying to make people feel welcomed and valued, and they are open to anyone as a member or an ally. I’ve never been treated differently because of my ethnicity; everyone has been very welcoming.
If you're not comfortable with the people you work with, it doesn't matter how interesting the product is as you just don't feel motivated or encouraged. I’m pleased that I feel valued, and have received great support from my managers. They take time to discuss my development and highlight opportunities for me to progress. I have completed my Association for Project Management PMQ qualification with the support of the business, and am now discussing chartership opportunities too.
I like the fact that I’m involved in so many things, I’ve grown so much in confidence since starting the graduate programme.
