Leader for young professionals in the industry
Published: Mon 10 Oct 2022
Needing to develop his soft skills for his CV, Rob was on the hunt for volunteering opportunities, and in 2016 he attended the IET’s Robots in Space event at IET London: Savoy Place.
“As a second-year engineering student I didn’t really know who the IET were or what they did. But the event was amazing and the IET seemed like a cool place, so I hung around and got speaking to the Aerospace Young Professional (YP) Chair.
“I expressed my interest in volunteering and before I knew it I was on the committee and organising the careers event for the Aerospace Technical Network (TN) for YPs at my university – the University of Hertfordshire.”
Now, he is Chair of the Aerospace YP group and represents the IET’s YP demographic within the aerospace sector.
“We sit alongside the Aerospace TN and have a 10-strong committee of amazing volunteers. We’ve run many events over the years including career networking events, technical events and most recently, we hosted IET Immediate Past President, Sir Julian Young, as part of our Spotlight on Apprentices event.
“I also sit on the fantastically active YP Committee as the Technical Network Representative, ensuring that YPs within TNs are well represented and that our demographic know TNs are a volunteering opportunity for them.”
From hosting events with three speakers and a load of pizzas to students to helping put together the IET’s Global Sustainability Hackathon, he is a true champion of engineering to the younger generation.
“Engineers and technicians work in so many different roles and industries – versatility is one of our strengths. It’s so important to ensure young (and more mature) members of the profession see the achievements of their peers and the opportunities a technical career can provide.
“Events, competitions, lectures and social events are a big part of this endeavour – hence so is the IET and its volunteers.”
But Robert wasn’t your typical academic at college, finding it hard to maintain focus during his A Levels.
“I excelled in electronics and realised that a mixture of theory and practise was best for me, so I researched degrees which would exploit this approach and ended up doing aerospace engineering.
“Despite the challenging content, I found myself performing much better academically and enjoying the course – highlighting how important environment can be. I graduated with a first and a host of extra-curriculars under my belt, so perseverance is key!”
Now with a global network of fellow engineers and technicians and a new role as Systems Domain Lead for Platform Integration at MBDA
Robert has proved that the sky’s the limit when you find a career you love and an institution with plenty of opportunities.
“My career goal is to reach a position where I can influence technology and business strategy within the industry. To help me achieve this, I hope to gain an MBA to complement my engineering skills, and of course, become an IET Fellow.”