Hazel: enjoying the variety of our rotational graduate scheme
Reaching new heights as an engineer on the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's (Dstl) Platform Systems graduate scheme.
Hazel gets to move around lots on our rotational graduate scheme whilst also applying her degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics with Spacecraft Engineering from Southampton University:
“I’m on the scheme where you get to move around and do lots of different things which has been really, really good. Dstl is a big organisation in some sense, but small in others, so being able to see what’s going on across the lab is really cool. I’ve had very positive experiences with all the groups I’ve worked in. They’re friendly and welcoming and keen to get you involved to get the best out of you.
“In my current 6 month placement I’m working on survivability of different platforms, mostly air-focussed, looking at ways to make them perform better and make them safer for those operating them.
“I’m using my university skills too; Python to look at data, pulling out information, plotting it, looking at trends. At the moment I’m looking at orbital mechanics, I did a module in that at uni, so I’m using a lot of my background knowledge and applying it into some new software.”
Hazel also looks forward to new experiences with an industrial placement:
“I’m so excited about going off on my external placement. You get the freedom to choose where you want to go to match your interests. I’m hopefully going to RAF Waddington where they look at tactics and training - a perfect match to my Aerospace degree.”
Joining Dstl has been a great match for Hazel too:
“I found it easy to settle in. There was a big social when we all started so it was nice and easy to get to know the other 20 or so people in my cohort. I’m lucky that I didn’t have to move house but people who had to relocate used the group chat to get to know each other and find house shares. They all get on really well.
“I heard about Dstl from a friend in the university climbing club. The work she was doing sounded really interesting. So I applied. And the climbing gym is one of the social groups I’ve enjoyed at Dstl - you get to meet other people who are not on the graduate scheme which is good fun.”
And everyone is different:
“Friends from my uni course, also on the scheme with me, have all got completely different interests but it’s been easy to each find something we enjoy at Dstl. So, if you want to do computational fluid dynamics, propulsion systems, code development, or you like to be creative and think up weird and wacky new ideas - whatever you’re into you’ll find it at Dstl.”
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