RUSSELL DAVISON

The best thing about the graduate framework is the amount of support that you are given.  There are a lot of people here that are willing to help you out.  You feel like you’ve got a lot of friends and support and that people are willing to help you get through it.  It’s an excellent scheme, which is constantly being improved and steered, certainly at a senior management level so it’s a very important scheme for the company.  In fact, before you even start working for the company, you’re assigned a buddy who is someone who works at BAE Systems.  They’re there to support you whilst you’re still at university and answer any questions you’ve got about the logistics of transferring from becoming a student, to starting work.  Once you’re within the company, you’re provided with a corporate mentor so that’s someone very senior in the business with a lot of experience and a good network of contacts who can help you.

I think it’s really important to remember that because we are a global company, there’s such a range of different sites, even within the UK and wider in other markets around Europe, America, South Africa and Australia.

I think the reason I get up each morning to go to work is that I really love the diversity and the variation in my day to day job.  I interface directly with our customers, whether it is the air force or subcontractors and vendors that I deal with, or a pilot helping design a test flight.  Having a personal interest in aircraft and aerospace, it’s fascinating for me to sit and actually see all of the work that’s involved behind producing all these aircraft and getting them flying.

There's absolutely lots to get involved in.  As well as your day to day role you can get involved with the School’s Ambassador Programme, which involves supporting visits from primary and secondary schools where children come in to learn about our science and technology.  You can get involved in charity and fundraising events, sporting events, as well as the social aspect.  There’s a very large social scene at BAE Systems.