Testimonials

I've been with the company nearly a year now based at Flight Refuelling in Wimborne. My first 6 month placement was in Programme Management where I became involved at various levels in a range of projects. With no previous management experience it was quite a daunting prospect however all the help and support I required was provided within the team. The level of early responsibility was surprising; within a month I was running my own project with a budget while getting more involved in some of the largest programmes within the company.

My current role is in Research & Technology and has given me the opportunity to apply my degree in a way that will influence the future of the company. I've been able to work independently, looking at developing and applying new technology to existing and future products. I am currently involved in a concept design project reporting directly to the business unit manager, the knowledge that my ideas and input are well-regarded is very rewarding.

Monthly meetings with my mentor allow me to air my concerns within an informal environment while receiving recommendations and feedback on my personal development. I would feel comfortable working anywhere within the company, and hope to make the most of the opportunity to expand my abilities within the different companies in the group.

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"As long as I can remember, I've loved cars. Right from my earliest years, it was cars, cars, cars. Though eventually it became clear - it wasn't the cars I loved; it was the engineering behind them.

I thought about taking an engineering degree. Unfortunately, the maths scared me off! So, I set off on an International Management degree, which included German language. After graduating I decided I still wanted to be involved in engineering, so I talked to a lot of major international companies with Graduate Engineering Programmes. However, they weren't interested in what I could bring - only in pure engineering. This seemed a little silly, to say the least, as I'd just spent several years in higher education, learning skills that they wanted me to forget.

Then I talked to Cobham. They were completely the opposite and I was accepted onto their Graduate Engineering Course. It was clear to me that they recognised my strengths and saw that I could be a real asset to their engineering team, where I would complement the skills of 'classical' engineers. Since joining, I've used my management training to its full potential - project management, risk assessment, market analysis, business continuity - and have even played a key role in engineering projects alongside my graduate engineer peers. This involved developing a test system for the Eurofighter's missile launcher. Brainstorming with a group of engineers, I made a suggestion for a cost-effective solution, which was not only taken seriously but was ultimately developed and taken into production - very gratifying!

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As part of my university course, I got the chance to do an Industrial Placement for the first semester in my last year.  I looked around various companies in the Aerospace / Defence sector, as this was what excited me about engineering. Having read through the testimonials of previous graduates and students on placement at Cobham, I put Cobham on my short list. At the assessment centre, everyone seemed very nice and eager to help - the whole atmosphere was much more relaxed than at other assessment centres I had been to, and this appealed to me.

I worked over the summer before the official start to my university placement in order to get more out of the placement.  I worked in the Manufacturing Engineering department in Flight Refuelling Ltd in Wimborne. I was involved with several projects, across a range of activities. The main project I was working on was improving testing on our In Flight Refuelling pods, which I was given leadership of fairly early on - obviously under careful supervision! Another project involved looking into acquiring equipment to 2D part mark components with lasers - allowing complex stock control information to be stored and accessed automatically. As time went on, I was given more and more responsibility, holding meetings with suppliers on my own, and helping to define test strategies.

At the end of the placement, I was offered sponsorship through the remaining 6 months of my degree, which I accepted.  After finishing my course, I went back to Flight Refuelling Ltd for a 3 month placement, again in Manufacturing Engineering. I helped again on the project to improve pod testing. This placement was focused on getting tests done to validate proposed test procedures. At the time of writing, I am just finishing this placement, handing over the project to a permanent employee. I am taking a year out and my goal is then to start on the Graduate Scheme next September.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placements at Cobham - I find the work interesting, and the people are great to work and socialise with. For me, doing a placement in engineering before graduating brought home exactly what engineering is about, and helped to relate my course to real situations in professional engineering.

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Unlike other graduates, I was already employed by Cobham within Flight Refuelling in Wimborne before I joined the graduate scheme. I entered the scheme as I thought it would be a great opportunity to boost my experience by the unique way that it cycles you not only around roles, but also companies.

My first placement took me to Cobham Advanced Composites in Stevenage, where I was initially tasked to manage production of the Apache Longbow Radome, six Radomes for the Eurofighter Defensive Aid Sub-System and two Radomes for the Eurofighter Strakes. This was an excellent opportunity to take responsibility and I learned a great deal about the manufacturing processes of composites and made a positive impact on the company revenues.

After three months within Cobham Advanced Composites, I changed roles to focus on Business Improvement of the production processes, where I developed and implemented a new problem-reporting database, set up a tooling management system at the sister site in Shepshed and created a strategy for Lean improvement across the company. Much of this work involved coming up with creative ideas and problem solving, which taught me a great deal about the operation of the business as a whole and gave me a good background in Lean and Six Sigma.

I then moved to Engineering, still within Cobham Advanced Composites, to look at developing new composite solutions for the A330 and A400M tanker aircraft refuelling systems. This primarily involved me spending three months working mainly at Flight Refuelling in Wimborne, not only as a technical hub for both parties to communicate through, but also to develop the engineering requirements and find innovative solutions to them.  This was a fast and high pressure environment but allowed me to exercise some of my technical skills and gave me a good understanding of the capabilities of high performance composites.

I am now managing the bid for the multi-million pound follow on contract to fully design, develop and productionise the composite refuelling system. This is an exciting challenge that is providing opportunities to develop my managerial and commercial skills. It also has visibly elevated me, as the work is of interest to those at the highest levels.

I have found the Cobham Graduate Scheme is an excellent opportunity as it gives you real responsibility and enables you to make a noticeable difference. My personal network has grown and that has provided me with support when I needed it. After spending time in more than one Cobham company, I have found the common factor between them is a fast paced, friendly atmosphere and a wealth of cutting edge technology.

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Before I started on the graduate scheme I was slightly worried that my non-technical background would pose problems in an engineering environment, but this is not the case at all. I am able to use and apply my skills in many areas, and feel like my work is really contributing to developing the business.

I spent my first 6 months in Wimborne, where I developed and implemented a new problem reporting IT system to be used throughout Flight Refuelling. This involved understanding the processes, writing software requirements and then implementing them into a final software design which was then rolled out after I had moved to my next placement. I was in contact with a lot of people in various areas of the business and learned a great deal about how the company works together to produce a final product.

I am now in my second placement - have relocated to our divisional headquarters in Marlow, where I am working in HR. I have been given a great deal of responsibility right from the start, and am expected to take initiatives to deliver results. On my first day I was tasked with organising a HR conference in the US - for a division I had only just joined! I have been involved in a wide variety of projects, from implementing talent management initiatives to divisional communication programmes. I have assisted employee development programmes and have been very lucky being able to travel to the US, France and around our UK companies on a regular basis. I also worked at Farnborough Air Show for 8 days this year - a great opportunity to meet people and learn about our products.

Whilst the work is challenging and a lot is expected of me, I have a real sense of responsibility and am required to manage my own projects and time - delivering results. However, I know that I have support if and when I need it.

One of the main reasons I chose the Cobham graduate programme is the vast possibilities within the group to rotate between departments and also between sites. Now that I've been working here for just over a year, I can say that the working atmosphere is great; people are really friendly and the products are fascinating. Outside of work, graduates are encouraged to participate in various training programmes, social events and conferences, not only creating a great social environment, but also giving a great sense of development and support.

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