Graduates

Current role and title

Project Manager for the Warrior Gunnery Turret Trainer (WRGTT) project, a Category D (<£20m) competitative procurement of a training system used for training gunnery skills of Gunners and Commanders of Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicles.

Previous placements:

Future Artillery Weapons Systems (FAWS) working on the Lightweight Mobile Artillery Weapons System Gun (LIMAWS Gun)

Director of Equipment Capability for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Protection (DEC CBRN).

What attracted you to DESG:

The DESG scheme offered a very well structured route to Engineering chartership, as well as plenty of opportunity for diversity within the department, coupled with the interesting nature of work in the defence sector.

Highlights of your career to date:

Running a competition for the Warrior Gunnery Turret Trainer project, which started out with 15 companies interested and went through a number of down-selection processes, including visits to four of the companies, based across Europe.

Visit to Infantry Training and Development Unit (ITDU) at Warminster to gain an appreciation of the Synthetic Environment training systems that are currently in use. This involved many demonstrations on Salisbury Plain, as well as the opportunity to use the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) and to compare this experience to travelling in real Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Main Battle Tanks.

Having the opportunity to experience working in MOD Main Building in Whitehall for 3 months, and to understand the various political and external impacts that are placed upon defence procurement.

What you hope to achieve in the future:

Short and medium term goals are regrade to C2 and becoming a chartered Engineer.

In the longer term, progression through the grades while having the opportunity to experience a wide variety of roles within the defence environment.

What advice would you give someone thinking of a career in the MOD:

There is a great deal of opportunity to broaden your skills (both technical and soft) in a wide variety of roles, so its well worth taking the time to identify these opportunities and make the best use possible of them.

Get out there and talk to people! The chances are that someone has done something similar in the recent past and can pass on plenty of useful experience.