Student story - Tom Clark
A Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine is a marvellous piece of engineering.
But how do you control one of these beauties? Tom Clark spent his year out at Aero Engine Controls finding out. He also came back with sponsorship and a graduate job offer! Here's his story:
"During my placement year at Aero Engine Controls I worked as a software engineer in the software Methods and Tools department working on several projects throughout my time there. This allowed me to greatly improve my software development skills and also exposed me to various aspects of the company.
"When starting my placement I had had relatively little software development experience but have since gained much more learning new programming languages whilst also improving my knowledge of the languages I had previously had experience of at university. The learning curve for the year was ideal for someone of my experience as while my work was challenging it never seemed impossible and I was able to get the necessary support when I needed it.
"While I worked on several projects during my time there were two in particular that stand out as they were new software tools that I developed exposing me to all aspects of the software lifecycle starting at requirements capture and design then coding and testing and finally releasing the tools for use in the company. One tool is now used in the software verification process for several of the company’s products and the other is used as part of the development process for control units for the Trent 1000 engine produced by Rolls Royce.
"Towards the end of my placement year I was also given the opportunity to apply for sponsorship and a place on the Aero Engine Controls graduate scheme for when I complete my degree. This involved giving a presentation to several senior managers in the company detailing what I had done over the year and why they should offer me sponsorship. I was successful in my application and am looking forward to going back to work at Aero Engine Controls once I graduate from University."