I first got involved at BAE Systems on an undergraduate scheme. What attracted me to that scheme was the projects that I’d be doing, especially because I was an aerospace student. I had complete flexibility to explore the parts of the business that interested me, so I looked at engineering, finance, I did procurement, a bit of project management. It was really easy to just go and see everything. Because of this, I knew I wanted to come back onto the graduate programme.
I’m really enjoying the graduate scheme. I’m only 10 months in, but I’m already working with the Tempest aircraft team. It’s really exciting to be right at the forefront of next generation technology. I’m also a STEM Ambassador, so I take part in activities to encourage school children to consider engineering. I love talking about Tempest and the various roles that are involved in building it. It makes me very proud to be part of the project.
Diversity and making sure there’s more opportunities for girls and women to break into engineering are things I’m really passionate about. I’m aiming to champion Diversity and Inclusion for the Chief Engineers Office in the Tempest team. We did a workshop for Women’s Engineering Day, we’ve been doing a Pride campaign, and I’ve been invited to some senior-level meetings with the Chief Engineer to specifically support his efforts to change the mindset that an engineer is always male. Recently I’ve been delighted to be asked to join the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Young Professionals Board, which focuses on getting a better gender balance across the science and engineering sectors. There's no kind of physical barrier that's stopping girls and women getting into engineering, it's just perceptions and mindsets. And these mindsets are changing every day, so I encourage them to be confident and go for it, because everyone is welcome here.
My development is supported beyond learning the skills to do my job. There’s a personal effectiveness course on the graduate scheme which is helping me develop my soft skills, and I’m encouraged to branch out and explore other parts of the business, so just at the moment I'm learning how to be a quality auditor, which will develop me in different ways and lets me see different areas of the business and what they have to offer. I’m also in a team for the SHE (science, health and environment) challenge which is good fun – finding small ways we can make a difference that will make a big impact if everyone does it.
BAE Systems is so flexible, I can move about and do different things. My stance is to say yes to all the opportunities that come along and see where they take me. Technology is evolving faster than ever before, and it’s really exciting to be involved!
