Early careers and graduate roles at Stirling Dynamics: Kathryn Papadakis shares her story as a Graduate Engineer

Do you want to work in aerospace but aren’t sure where to begin your engineering career?

It can feel daunting with so many different types of roles and companies out there, so how do you decide where to begin your engineering career? 

If you have a passion for aerospace or marine engineering and are looking for a graduate programme which offers:

• the opportunity to explore diverse project types;
• a breadth of experience and a wide range of disciplines;
• multiple capabilities within each rotation; and
• a holistic understanding of an engineering business

…read on for Kathryn’s story!

So, what is it like working as a graduate engineer here at Stirling Dynamics? We invited Kathryn Papadakis, one of our recent engineering graduates who has worked with us since September 2022, to share her experience of joining the Stirling Dynamics team after her graduation and her career development journey over the last two years.

Kathryn’s journey to choosing Stirling Dynamics to start her engineering career

After completing a master’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering, Kathryn sought an engineering role within the aerospace manufacturing sector.

Whilst many graduate schemes focus on specific capabilities or production types, the work at Stirling Dynamics encompasses multiple capabilities within each rotation to help graduates explore different opportunities at the early stages of their engineering career.

So, rather than immediately making a choice on specialising in a specific capability, being involved in projects covering multiple capabilities gave Kathryn the time to consider what best suits her future career. This also means she gained a holistic understanding of the engineering business and the opportunity to explore diverse project types.

During Kathryn’s search, she learned our graduation scheme provides four six-month rotations across key engineering areas under the guidance of senior engineers.

Kathryn really liked the breadth of experience on offer: “The Stirling Dynamics graduate scheme was perfect because the graduation scheme covers so many parts of the business as opposed to some other graduate schemes, it looked flexible and would be a good way to figure out what I want to do. The people I met throughout the interview process were always approachable and friendly too – our discussions around the graduate scheme, what they were looking for in a graduate and their wide-ranging experience sealed the deal for me.”

Kathryn’s experience of the Stirling Dynamics graduate scheme

“I was happy to be given quite a lot of responsibilities - I was able to talk directly to customers as part of my work, and it was rewarding to hear their positive feedback and receive appreciation for the work I did on the project.”

Kathryn took part in an Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) project where she gained a lot of new experience, knowledge of industry standards, skills unique not only to her but the wider engineering team as well and interacted directly with the customer on a weekly basis, “I was happy to be given quite a lot of responsibility. I worked with software for system requirements that no one else at Stirling had used before—a significant leap for me—and I also spoke directly to customers as part of my work. It was rewarding to hear their positive feedback and receive appreciation for the work I did on the project.”

Over two years have now passed.

Kathryn found her most recent rotation in Project and Business Management particularly interesting, learning about the lifecycle of projects from start to finish. She now has a deeper understanding of how projects are formed, how they go from the initial bid to the project phase and to close out.

Career progression at Stirling Dynamics

“From the very beginning, I was allowed to get involved in complex tasks across multiple projects…. that’s something I don’t think I would have been able to experience in a larger company.”

Looking back, Kathryn says, “From the very beginning, I was allowed to get involved in complex tasks across multiple projects which helped me learn about the business, increase my knowledge and pick up my role quickly. And it’s rewarding to see how I’ve had a positive impact on Stirling Dynamics too.

“The continuous support and guidance from my line manager and other senior engineers was invaluable, as was the opportunity to work directly with our Head of Cockpit Controls and Vice President and learn from their extensive experience.”

She continues, “I now have an extensive and clear understanding of what Stirling offers as a business through all its capabilities, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I was given to explore different types of projects - that’s something I don’t think I would have been able to experience in a larger company.”

Towards the end of the program, Kathryn expressed her career aspirations at Stirling Dynamics in the future and she’s hoping to go into the Modelling team capability, become a Senior Engineer and take up more responsibilities on the project side.

Joining our graduate community

At Stirling Dynamics we have around 30 graduates and junior engineers working across all parts of our business, and this group has naturally formed its own friendly community, organising social and sporting activities both in and outside of work hours.

“In an engineering company, I imagined myself to be the only young person, but our graduate community is very active, our lunchroom gets very busy while all the grads are in. Everyone's very friendly and it's just nice to have people who are your age to chat with! They're all happy to help whenever you have troubles.”

Get in touch for more information about our graduate scheme

Deciding where to begin your engineering career can feel daunting with so many different types of roles and companies out there. Whilst Stirling Dynamics may be part of a much larger parent company, we strive to retain that small and intimate culture.

Kathryn was pleased she chose Stirling Dynamics as her first graduate role, “The graduate scheme has been a structured entry point into my career. Rather than immediately making a choice on specialising in a specific capability, being involved in projects covering multiple capabilities gave me the time to consider what best suits my future career, and I definitely recommend it!”

If you’re a recent graduate or in the early stages of your career and thinking about your next step, please get in touch with our recruitment team. We actively welcome talented individuals with a passion for aerospace or marine engineering.

Learn more about our 2025 Graduate Engineer Rotational Programme, application closes on 31 December 2024.

Learn more about careers at Stirling Dynamics.