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Airbus was ranked 50 in the 2011 Guardian UK 300 and 73 in the 2011 Times top 100 graduate employers.
Between 50 and 80 graduate appointments are hired each year through the company’s two-year direct entry graduate (DEG) programme. Graduates join in one of various different areas, and undertake several different placements within that function as part of the programme. Areas include:
Engineering graduates joining the structures business now have the chance to travel to France, Germany or Spain on an international placement during the programme; this will be discussed with candidates during the selection process.
Travel opportunities may also be available to graduates on other programmes (though it is not guaranteed), and working overseas is a strong possibility in the long term.
Airbus offers a three-year postgraduate scheme in partnership with the French Association for Technology & Research (ANRT), which enables postgraduate students in the engineering and business disciplines to combine studying and research for their PhD thesis with work experience. Participants are employed by Airbus during the scheme, and work to develop new technologies and solutions relevant to the company.
On completing the graduate scheme, high-achievers (ie, those who have impressed managers with their skills and abilities) will be considered for a longer-term position in their chosen area, and will progress to the advanced professional developing (APD) grade. This stage lasts for up to three years, and involves further training and on-the-job learning to help develop additional skills and knowledge relevant to the business.
Due to the wide range of business areas within Airbus, there are a large number of career paths available, with each area offering several potential roles.
Airbus operates undergraduate internships in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, usually starting in the summer and lasting between 3 and 12 months. Some international placements lasting 3 to 12 months are available to UK applicants, though these are restricted to students who speak the relevant language.
A summer placement scheme is also offered, though places are limited, and a five to six-month placement is available to final-year students (including those studying towards a Masters).
There are a wide variety of internship areas available, including:
Most placements offer a salary of between £12,000 and £16,000; however, placements in areas such as London are reported to offer up to £22,000. Other perks of the job include flexitime working, national and international travel, company events, social clubs, and up to 25 days’ holiday.
The schemes are also highly rated by previous intakes, who say that staff members were supportive and friendly, and that training and responsibility levels were good. Another key benefit (and possibly the most important) is that involvement in the placement scheme could increase the chances of getting a place on the graduate scheme, and ultimately a career with Airbus.
There are various different schemes available, all of which have slightly different entry criteria. However, there are some common requirements.
Essential:
Preferred:
While many of the schemes specify an engineering degree as a requirement, others such as Business, Finance and Human Resources seek ‘relevant subjects’, so there are some opportunities for non-engineering students.
Start dates vary depending on the project applied for, which can include technical or business areas such as engineering, finance, manufacturing and marketing. Application criteria include fluency in English, innovative thinking, and a passion for learning.
Opening date: September 2011.
Closing date: 13 January 2012.
Airbus advises candidates to check its website regularly for updates on work experience availability, and to apply four to six months or more before the scheme starts due to the high volume of applications it receives.
As part of the introductory training, the company runs a two-day course in Toulouse (where it’s based) to give graduates an opportunity to learn about the company, meet clients and suppliers, and visit its final assembly lines and manufacturing plants.
Specialist training programmes have been introduced to meet the company’s international key competences, which include architecture, composites design and manufacture, manufacturing engineering and supply chain management.
Throughout the graduate scheme, training is focused around both technical and behavioural skills, and involves a number of courses as well as on-the-job learning.
Behavioural training includes some outdoor activities.
Behaviour training courses are run by learning specialist Impact, and composed of coaching, e-learning, psychometric tests and some outdoor activities. Specialist courses include something called ‘lean awareness’. This is based around a fashionable theory in technical management circles designed to eliminate inefficient processes and add value to manufacturing.
Graduates will also have access to language courses as part of the scheme, though these are not mandatory.
While it is not a requirement, Airbus encourages its graduates to gain accreditation by a professional body. Engineering graduates typically work towards chartered status as part of their training, while graduates from other backgrounds may also join relevant institutions. These include:
Graduate scheme participants working towards a professional qualification are usually assigned a chartership mentor to support them through accreditation.
On joining the programme, graduates are assigned to a line manager who will oversee their development and help set up placements. When actually out on placements, a placement manager will provide support in setting and completing challenges and targets. Graduates will also have a buddy from a previous intake and a senior-level career mentor to help guide them through the programme, and help them decide what direction to take in their career.
The chances of being appointed at the advanced professional developing (APD) level on completing the graduate scheme are determined entirely by performance during the programme, so completing the relevant training and development portfolio is vital to secure a long-term career at Airbus.
According to Airbus, employees spend a combined 190,000 days per year on training activities (equivalent to 4,560,000 hours, or almost 87 hours per employee). The key competences account for 40% of this time.
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