Skills & tips for new entrants into the sector
Education is different in the UK compared to other parts of Europe, in UK they emphasize that you learn about the soft skills that you need for work. Where as in Europe you often learn more ‘hard skills’ or those skills that are more related to specific jobs. You need to also build your reputation, don’t be afraid to ask for help and to ask lots of questions whilst you decide which pathway is right for you. Look out for everyone opportunity, if you get onto an internship, make sure you make the most out of it. Ask people to help train/teach you, ask to take part in projects and take part in the other training opportunities you might have access to.
The exciting thing for me when I was working at Rolls Royce was seeing the A350 fly and know that I was part of that.
For me personally, the most exciting thing was working on the Rolls Royce Engine for the A350. I knew that I was going to part of history, and It was great to think that I was one of the few people to was on the team and when every A350 takes off. I think that I had something to do with that! My advice would be to make sure you keep going, achieve your ultimate career goal until you feel proud of what you have achieved.
Biggest challenge for me personally is that I wish the industry was more diverse and open minded to diversity and becoming more inclusive. Sometimes it makes me sad as I see the industry isn’t progressing as well as others particularly on topics such as inclusivity with regards to gender and race. I would say the lack of open mindedness was the biggest challenge for me and this also makes me sad because the industry is losing out on a lot of very talented individuals it was a challenge to bring in a new personality and also trying to fit in. However, whilst I was working at the European space agency but I really did make an effort in particular around gender but also the recruitment process was very open minded and welcomed diverse applicants.