International manufacturer Rolls-Royce requires innovation along with technical skills, according to a graduate at the company.
Rolls-Royce has been driving the latest advancements in engineering and aerospace since its founding in 1906. The company keeps innovation at its heart-and one graduate says it is an essential part of day-to-day life across the business.
Rizwan Hamid joined Rolls-Royce on their Manufacturing Engineering Graduate Development Programme in September 2012 after studying Aeronautical Engineering at Loughborough University. He says the company's mandate for innovation inspired him to apply.
"One of the reasons I went for this job was because of the innovation involved and the fact you get to work with some really clever people on new technology," he says.
"I've worked in capability acquisition, continuous improvement and new port introduction."
Rizwan says there are lots of opportunities to learn and collaborate with experts at Rolls-Royce.
"One thing I really enjoyed while during my placements was working with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. It is an amazing facility with state of the art equipment and beautiful offices. They run the projects with you and you manage them as engineers from Rolls-Royce."
Rolls-Royce ensures graduates have the right tools to harness their ideas. Rizwan says project teams are set up to support each other.
"Within every department, and every task you do, there will be a specialist and you've got the support where if you get stuck on an issue you can ask them, learn and become a better engineer."
"At Rolls-Royce, they want you to be innovative, they want you to be thinking and they really push you towards that."