DISTED COLLEGE NEWS
27 January 2010

Aerospace careers

The aerospace industry offers excellent job opportunities with lots of variety, said Dr Guy B Gratton, UK’s Brunel University aeronautics lecturer and Brunel Flight Safety Laboratory head. 

He said aerospace careers could encompass operations, maintenance, manufacturing and areas in design, research, testing and teaching. 

“In the operations stream, one can be a pilot with a commercial airline or the military. A civil pilot can end up with captaincy or venture into airline management,” he said. 

Brunel University aeronautics lecturer and Brunel Flight Safety Laboratory head Dr Guy B Gratton (standing, centre) sharing his professional experiences in aerospace career to DISTED students.

“In the maintenance realm, management positions are available to graduates but with limited ability to fast-track. Those best placed in this stream are technicians with a management or engineering degree. 

“The manufacturing stream offers white collar jobs to graduates in manufacturing management, design investigation and quality assurance. 

“The area of design and analysis is mostly for engineering graduates who can also be test pilots or ground test engineers,” he explained. 

Dr Gratton was speaking to DISTED College engineering and pre-university students during his visit to the college with his university colleagues Brunel International director Chris Chang, Dr Peter Turner and Petra Gratton.

Held on 27 January 2010, the event was part of the DISTED INSPiRE programme which seeks to create industry-relevant education to promote graduate employability. 

Brunel University aeronautics lecturer and Brunel Flight Safety Laboratory head Dr Guy B Gratton speaking at DISTED.

What does it take to venture into the aerospace careers? 

“Students seeking an aerospace career need to be motivated as it will take them more than 4 years of education and training. All aerospace jobs are competitive. 

“A degree will help a lot in career advancement but it does not have to be in aerospace except for some specialist jobs. It can be a mechanical, electronics or telecommunications engineering qualification,” Dr Gratton said. 

“Aerospace is not just about aeroplanes. Think of its relation to space, communications, weapons, fluid mechanics etc. 

“It’s not essential to target big companies when seeking a job. Small companies may offer you the best jobs in terms of wider work exposure which will make you a better aerospace engineer,” he advised. 

DISTED engineering and pre-university students meeting with UK's Brunel University academics Dr Peter Turner (left), (from right) Brunel International director Chris Chang, Dr Guy B Gratton and Petra Gratton.

Dr Peter Turner of Brunel University (right) explaining the advantages of a sandwich engineering degree course.

When touching on engineering courses, Dr Peter Turner highlighted the advantages of a sandwich programme which incorporates 1 year of work placement. 

“A sandwich course gives you experience of industry before graduation. You have the chance to apply academic studies to real life situations.  

“The work placement will also enhance your employment prospects,” Dr Turner said.

Brunel University academics (seated, from right) Petra Gratton, Dr Guy B Gratton, Dr Peter Turner and Brunel International director Chris Chang in a group shot with DISTED students and INSPiRE programme coordinator Ahmad Taiff Isahak (standing, left).