It’s our principal route into Engineering – which includes Systems,
Software, Support, Electrical and Electronic, Mechanical, Structures,
Project Management and Manufacturing – and also into Business functions
– which include Project Management, Procurement, Commercial, Human
Resources and Sales & Marketing.
Whether you’re helping
develop the next generation of submarines or working out how best to
train our Typhoon teams, you’ll be gaining involvement and developing
your skills within a tested and common structure. This will speed your
initial development and support your transition into our business and
its many challenging projects.
During this important and
formative two-year period, you can expect a valuable mix of on-the-job
training and external learning that will build your technical knowledge
and behavioural skills tailored to your individual needs.
You can
also expect to attend our Graduate Conference – an event run every year
by our graduates, for our graduates. The Graduate Conference is an
opportunity for the graduate community at BAE Systems to get together:
to exchange ideas, build a network and share knowledge. It’s also the
perfect opportunity to meet with senior managers, hear about the
different projects that are happening throughout BAE Systems and find
out a little more about what your peers are working on.
Engineering roles
Engineering
excellence is the foundation and future of our business. We have over
18,000 engineers in the UK and more than 30,000 in total, responsible
for the design, development, testing, production, delivery,
commissioning and maintenance of our products.
And what products
they are. Imagine working on projects that could involve thousands of
people. Perhaps you’ll be helping to provide ongoing support for our
existing products in service? Maybe you’ll be part of the team helping
to develop the next generation of unmanned air vehicles, or the naval
ships of the future.
With BAE Systems, you can become a renowned engineering expert in a whole range of important functions.
-
Systems Engineers:
an essential discipline in the lifespan of products that include land,
sea and air platforms, as well as large-scale communications, training
and operational systems and development of operational capability.
-
Support Engineers:
involved in all aspects of in-service support, including designing
support services, support systems or test equipment. There’s much more
to it as well. Remember, after all, that our contracts often run for
decades, employ thousands of people and are valued in £hundreds of
millions.
-
Software
Engineers:
involved in the full lifecycle of our many electronic products, from
identifying initial requirements through to design, implementation,
test phases and product qualification. Just so that you know, many of
our large scale or distributed systems use Operating Systems such as
Microsoft Windows.
-
Electrical and Electronic Engineers:
make decisions about electronic product content, optimising hardware
and software design concepts and synthesising design from a range of
components and advanced technology options. There are other aspects to
these roles as well, from developing sophisticated design processes
through to developing and testing complex and intelligent products.
Aerodynamics and hydrodynamics are all part of the fun here too!
-
Manufacturing and Production:
a diverse part of our organisation that spans most of BAE Systems’
business units and offers graduates exposure to all sorts of areas that
could include Enterprise Management, IT, Control and Logistics, Direct
Material Procurement and many others besides.
-
Mechanics and Structures:
covers Physical, Structural and Mechanical Systems through analysis,
design, development and test of complex and intelligent products. It
includes aerodynamics and hydrodynamics.
-
Manufacturing Engineers:
help ensure that our products can actually be manufactured by
participating in the early stages of a product’s lifecycle. Then, once
all the development phases are complete, they turn our world-leading
design capability into physical products.
-
Research Scientists/Engineers:
are the people who undertake research, assist with winning business and
acquiring technology. You’ll already be producing outputs which will
demonstrate systematic research methods and original thought – imagine
putting these to work in a business where you can see these ideas come
alive. You may even find yourself presenting your results at technical
seminars.
As you can see, we really
do have a vast range of opportunities for graduates from all
engineering, numerate and scientific subjects, so if you’re studying
for a qualification in another engineering discipline, we’d still like
to hear from you.
Business roles
Don’t
think for a moment that opportunities here are only
engineering-related. The delivery of £multi-billion projects means we
need experts in a wide range of important business functions. These
include:
-
Project Management:
takes place right across our business units, including land, sea, air,
support and electronic systems. Take the groundbreaking work we’re
doing on the Typhoon, Type 45 destroyers or Astute submarines, for
example. Although, in reality, most of these programmes are broken down
into a series of smaller, integrated work packages, they all need
outstanding project management skills.
-
Procurement:
we spend over £5 billion a year with some 15,000 suppliers. So, whether
you choose air, land or sea projects, be in no doubt that this function
is of vital importance and just the place for a varied and exciting
career.
-
Commercial:
we’re partners in some of the highest profile defence projects in the
world, and we’re continually winning new business. Our varied work
includes estimating, bidding for, negotiating and managing complex
contracts. Our mission is making sure our customers get the most
innovative solutions, in a way that delivers both competitive advantage
and profitability.
-
Human Resources:
It is our people that allow BAE Systems to produce such amazing work
and it is Human Resources that adds real value to BAE Systems through
the strategic management of our people agenda. Resourcing, learning and
development, reward and recognition, employee communications, employee
relations and many other important issues are the remit of Human
Resources.
-
Sales & Marketing:
as a global leader, BAE Systems enjoys reach into markets worldwide.
Managing and delivering the activity that initiates our bid activity
and maintaining the best possible relationships with our customers,
Sales & Marketing are key to the current and future success of the
company. If you join this area, expect to be work in teams that lead
integrated marketing campaigns, working with customer organisations as
well as our central Marketing function.
Now
you can see why we’d still like to hear from you even if you’re
studying for a qualification in a non-engineering discipline. Ours is a
big, big business, and that means opportunity in every area of business
management.
Programme Timeline
Buddying: When you accept your offer at BAE Systems, we’ll assign you a 'buddy’. This will be someone on the second year of their GDF scheme, who will help you to find your way around and settle into your new environment.
Start of development milestones
Induction:
On your first day, and before you are met by your line manager, we will
take you through the local information and company benefits that are
relevant to your site.
Graduate Welcome Briefing: This short but important briefing is designed to give you specific information on the key elements of the GDF and how to make it work for you - not to be missed!
Graduate Development Programme:
The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) complements role specific
on-the-job training and supports your first few years with the Company.
This takes you out of your normal business environment to attend three
interactive residential modules. These modules are based on BAE
Systems' values and include teamwork, building successful working
partnerships, innovation and creativity. Not only do these modules add
to your skill set, they are an excellent opportunity to network with
other graduates across the business and learn more about the company.
Corporate Mentoring: You will be allocated a corporate mentor -
typically one of the company's most senior managers who will act as a
'sounding board' during the early stages of your career. This
relationship is designed to give you the opportunity to engage in open
discussion, objective feedback and guidance regarding your future
within BAE Systems.
Graduate Conference: All of
our graduates attend this annual event at least once. Run by graduates,
senior BAE Systems managers and outside speakers are invited to
present, and there are team activities covering a wide spectrum of
business-related topics. There is also a formal evening event, which is
always memorable. The conference offers a great chance to network with
people throughout the business, and is fully supported by the company
as we see it as a crucial part of graduates' learning process. It’s
also a great way to see the sort of work that your peers are involved
in.
Continual support
Professional ‘Developing You’ Programmes: These programmes are designed to offer ongoing development and education in your chosen profession.
On-line Learning:
You will be able to access over 500 personal and professional
development courses from your work computer, via our e-learning or
local learning resource centres. These include everything from language
courses to e-packages covering a range of subjects.
Stretch Assignments: There are lots of opportunities to continually stretch yourself throughout your GDF
including participating in company charity events, assisting at
graduate recruitment events, becoming involved in education liaison
activities and lots more.
Internal Website: There is a dedicated internal corporate website that provides lots of information about all aspects of the GDF. Local graduate websites are also used to keep you up to date with events.
Graduate Forums:
Generally organised by graduates for graduates, these are designed as a
mechanism where local graduates can provide feedback to the company on
the GDF and organise additional activities to support their GDF.
