Professional development is just as important as working on technical skills and graduates also get the opportunity to enhance their professional development through undertaking joint tasks and having the opportunity to represent the company at external events.
To find out more about what our graduate scheme involves, we spoke to three of our current graduates. Samuel, Vanessa and Yashi joined Reaction Engines in 2017; the first year that the graduate scheme was established.
What made you want to join Reaction Engines?
Vanessa: ‘I wanted to join a company that is innovative and doing something new and exciting. Reaction Engines is doing exactly that, and I wanted to be a part of the team that is pushing technology to its limit!’
Samuel: ‘I joined Reaction Engines to be a part of something cutting edge, developing an entirely new type of rocket engine which will lower the cost of access to space by orders of magnitude.’
Yashi: ‘To be a part of one of the most revolutionary projects in aerospace engineering happening at this moment!’
What has been a highlight of your first year working for Reaction Engines?
Yashi: ‘A definite highlight for me was talking to members of the public at the New Scientist Live exhibition about the work that we are undertaking right here in Culham. Enthusing people of all ages and interests about the engineering work we are performing and its implications not only for future travel but in a variety of other markets, really brought home the scale of what we are trying to achieve and made me proud to be a part of the company.’
Vanessa: ‘The highlight of the first year of the graduate scheme is seeing all the work I’ve completed during the past year being of real value to the company. This includes all the work within my placements and the graduate projects. It was great to be given the chance to put into practice everything that I have learned throughout school and university and be able to successfully complete work that is beneficial to the company.’
Samuel: ‘Going out to Colorado for the 2018 Space Symposium was definitely the highlight of my first year. I was very fortunate to be able to attend the conference sessions held during the symposium, and help the team out at the exhibition. I got to spend time with all of the US office from Reaction Engines Inc. and experience the American space industry.’
What is your favourite thing about working for Reaction Engines?Â
Samuel: ‘The incredible projects that you get to work on. There are so many interesting developments going on inside Reaction Engines, to be a part of it is an amazing feeling!’
Vanessa: ‘I enjoy working at Reaction Engines as it is a small innovative company that is pushing the boundaries of current technologies within the Space industry. I also enjoy learning about the SABRE engine and learning about different parts of the business from core engineering all the way though to project management.’
Yashi: ‘For me, it has to be the great working atmosphere. Despite hard deadlines, the atmosphere is always open and relaxed (within reason!). The engineers and technicians working on the projects are always willing to take time to explain the reasoning behind a design concept, which have been invaluable to myself as a graduate.’
Current undergraduates or recent graduates wanting to find out more about Reaction Engines’ graduate scheme and details on how to apply, can visit our careers section of our website here.
