Stuart MacGregor - EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd
July 2009 to August 2010
In three words, my industrial placement experience with EADS Defence & Security Systems has been, exciting, motivating and insightful.
The placement has presented me with a wealth of experience in the work place, opening my eyes to the real world of work and allowed me to develop my key personal and transferable skills which have undoubtedly improved my chances of potential future employment after graduation. I have been lucky enough to work on many exciting projects, and with two separate departments of the EADS business, one of which is the area of the business which acts as the company's research arm developing future technologies. This made my time with EADS very exciting. All of my work with the company has been interesting, tailored to my development and has always furthered my knowledge and experience. I was able to utilise academic skills gained at University, both in simulation work I completed with the Systems Design Centre, and in analytical/mathematical work that was undergone with the research department. This is what made my time with EADS insightful.
During my placement with EADS I had opportunities to travel abroad to Germany, firstly for an innovation challenge workshop in Münich and secondly with a recruitment initiative that I have been selected for called the EADS Juniors Programme. As the first ever British EADS Junior, I was invited to the Berlin International Air Show where I attended VIP tours around the exhibition stands and had the opportunity to meet executive EADS HR representatives, alongside watching the fantastic air displays. Similarly, I was taken away to a German island with the rest of the Juniors for a week long intensive personal development and adventure training experience. As a Junior, EADS will maintain contact with me throughout the rest of my studies, inviting me to special Juniors events allowing me to further develop my relationship with the company and further increase my chances of employment. This side of working with EADS is what made my placement motivating.
Besides furthering my personal development, and securing a position with the Juniors programme, my placement year with EADS has given me much more. I have made some very good friends out of colleagues that I will keep in touch with, hopefully, into the foreseeable future. I have developed a keen interest in the aerospace and defence industry which I never had before. This placement has confirmed my interest in the field of simulation whilst also demonstrating its importance in industry. For these reasons, I consider my placement year to not only have been a fantastic experience but also a great success.
Finally, the success of my training period means, that simply by keeping in touch and maintaining contact with the company throughout my final year, I can look forward to a graduate position with EADS upon completing my studies!