A dream job

At the beginning of my career, I was fortunate to be selected to join the graduate scheme at what is now Airbus Helicopters near Marseilles. 

After joining the company, graduate engineers spent a few months on the shop floor.  I was lucky to be assigned to the prototype shop. 

This made me realise the incredibly high skills of the craftsmen who make complex prototype parts from scratch.  It also gave me an insight into their motivations and concerns. 

After a couple of months, I was given the responsibility to manage a small fleet of development helicopters used to fly test new systems and equipment for the family of Squirrel helicopters. 

My role was to liaise between engineering, production and the flight test department, making sure strict aerospace procedures were adhered to manufacture, fit and test improvements and new equipment on prototype helicopters. 

This was a dream job for me, fulfilling my passion for aviation and engineering.  It gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about helicopters, gas turbine engines, gearboxes and avionics. 

More importantly perhaps, it taught me how to work effectively with people to get things done as a young engineer without authority. 

The factory based on the airport of Marseilles had been through many years of social unrest with incessant strikes.  Radical changes had been made to turn the situation around and restore social peace. 

To maintain this, line managers focussed on “managing the peace” had been appointed.  Their role was mainly to take action as soon as anyone stepped out of line. 

This did not encourage openness or new ways of thinking from newly recruited graduate engineers who felt somewhat under “surveillance”, and unable to express their views freely. 

After a few years, this situation combined with a drastic reduction of my workload due to the sudden slowdown of the helicopter market led me to look for another challenge. 

Feeling valued

I was very lucky to find out about a unique opportunity to work for Lucas Aerospace based in the UK to help them in their bid for systems and equipment on the new Airbus A320. 

My role was to support the divisions in their dealings with Airbus and with potential partners in France.  Apart from learning about the variety of systems supplied by Lucas, I discovered the world of sales and marketing, working side by side with the teams from each division. 

The contrast with my previous role could not have been greater.  Instead of being constantly told “what to think”, I was encouraged to give my opinion and make suggestions. 

This was a shock initially as I couldn’t figure out how the views of a young graduate engineer like me could be of value to the senior directors I was working with. 

I quickly realised that compared to my sales colleagues, my different background and education enabled me to better understand the motivations and concerns of the Airbus engineers in Toulouse who were specifying critical equipment and selecting suppliers for the all-new fly-by-wire Airbus A320 aircraft. 

My ability to contribute and feel valued boosted my motivation.  I felt appreciated and I enjoyed the freedom to take initiative. 

This initial role led to further challenging positions within Lucas Aerospace.

Retaining and supporting graduate engineers

Later in my career I built teams of bright engineers in engineering consultancy businesses. 

Attracting first class graduate engineers to medium-sized businesses is not easy. 

Furthermore, once recruited retaining them beyond the first couple of years is equally challenging. 

My own experience as a graduate engineer has helped me to understand the needs and motivations of new recruits to make sure they can grow and flourish without having to leave the company. 

In summary, the areas I would recommend to focus on include: 

✅ Encouraging young graduate engineers to contribute ideas from day one.

✅ Constantly feeding them with new challenges throughout their early career.

✅ Providing them with frequent feedback.

✅ Being attentive to their interests, needs and aspirations.

✅ Treating them with respect.

✅ Valuing them and showing genuine appreciation for their contribution. 

Nowadays I work with overstretched people leading small and medium-sized engineering companies to help them prepare their business for sustainable growth. 

To explore how I could help you, please use the link below to book a time for a free 30-minute conversation.

http://tinyurl.com/HerveJardonCalendar