WHAT ITS LIKE TO WORK HERE?

ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES

A career in aerospace engineering is exciting and rewarding.

We have well charted and managed development programmes for graduates. Graduates work on challenging, business wide projects with full mentor support.

Graduates then develop into a full time role within the business.

We are looking for ambitious graduates who have a passion for aerospace and are willing to take on new challenges

KAVISH RA LOBIN
Recent Graduate

What made you choose to join RLC as a graduate?

I chose RLC because of the fact that it is a medium sized organization which is growing.  You tend to get lost in large aerospace companies, whereas in organisations like RLC, you are given responsibility from day one, with real deadlines and targets – I seen it as an opportunity to fast track my career, by obtaining as much experience as I can.

What projects are you involved with?

For the duration of my three year graduate programme at RLC UK, I have worked on various projects across a whole range of fields in all of the 3 RLC sites.  Some of the projects I managed include:

  1. ‘Make vs Buy’ in Ronaldsway
  2. ‘CAL2’ – designed & developed the infrastructure for a secondary site to Callender as well as oversaw the transfer of a value stream, including CNC machines and offices into the new building.
  3. New Entrants Work Package – Getting RLC and the graduate programme across to schools colleges and universities, attracting & recruiting new talents.
  4. Singapore – helped in specifying out and designing the infrastructure for our new Singapore facility.

For the last year of my graduate scheme, I worked as a Module Manager, in order to obtain some experience in operations, which I ended up choosing to stay in.

What is the RLC culture and working environment like?

Everyone I’ve come across in all three sites have been very helpful and supportive. From day one, you are assigned a mentor, who will guide, help and support you in any aspect of your working life within RLC. The culture is hard working and focused but supportive. There is a real pride in RLC about working with the leading aerospace manufactures.

Why should someone consider joining RLC?

From the day you join, I can promise that you will not be bored – the projects you will be working on are going to be very exciting and real, geared towards delivering business goals. You will also start a Personal Development Plan, which is used to look at your strengths and weaknesses, giving you the opportunity to explore your short and long term career goals.  This plan is reviewed every six months by your mentor.

Finally, the company has been expanding for the last couple of years and is still expanding – there are a lot of career opportunities for anyone who is driven and focused.

WHAT ITS LIKE TO WORK HERE?

ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES

We recruit our apprentices based on their passion to learn; to build innovative, quality products, and their inquisitive and open minds.

Our apprentices are our future and we work with them, side by side, not solely on their learning journey, but also in their onward careers with us.  Our apprentices are Award winners, winning prizes on a national platform for creations that they  have designed and which are now operational on our factory floors.

LUKE MCKINLEY
Aerospace Manufacturing Apprentice

What made you take up an apprenticeship with RLC?

During the summer of 2012, following years of interest in engineering I had the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship at RLC’s Ronaldsway site on the Isle of Man.

I was part way through my A levels and knew that engineering was the career I wished to follow, however I was unsure of the best route. I was well on my way to follow the academic route into the industry through university but decided upon the vocational route into the industry at RLC.

What projects are you involved with?

The first year was spent with three days of my week taken up with college, where I was studying first year National certificate in Manufacturing Engineering and achieving a Performing Engineering Operations Certificate (PEO.) The other two days, were spent at the factory on a set development plan and rotation around all the areas within the business. My second year was very different with day release to college and the remainder of the week continuing the shop floor rotation which included placements in the quality department and machining centres.

In spring 2014, I entered the Isle of Man Apprentice of the Year competition; I already had an idea to go forward with. Whilst on the machines I noticed how inconvenient, costly and unreliable it was to manually empty the machine coolant from the swarf skips back into the sump and I set about creating a device that would return the used coolant back to the machine sump without any unreliable human intervention.

I followed this design all the way through from initial ideas, sketches, concept selection, final design, prototype manufacture and implementation. I then compiled a presentation for this competition showing the entire process and evaluating the results and cost benefits from this. In July I presented the project as others from the engineering cluster presented their projects too and I was delighted to learn that I had won.

In my third year I studied for a HNC and continued on my planned rotation around the aerospace shop floor. I was also put forward to compete in the North West Best Aerospace and Defence Apprentice awards where I took the design further and won the Northwest Aerospace Award for ‘Innovation’ for my project.

What is the RLC culture and working environment like?

The people within RLC are a very supportive and I have been encouraged to make a real contribution to the business. The business is big enough to have large £multimillion projects but small enough to get to understand the different business units in the business and to get to know the people in the plant I work at. Everyone has a real work ethic and there is a desire to succeed, it’s really quite exciting.

Why should someone consider joining RLC?

I was encouraged and supported by line managers and colleagues throughout the three years and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this apprenticeship or employment within RLC. I have managed to achieve things that wouldn’t have been possible if I had followed the academic route or if I had chosen an alternative company.

WHAT ITS LIKE TO WORK HERE?

ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES

With RLC we have a one team approach

We have a large footprint and actively encourage mobility of talent across our reach.  We recruit the best; value contribution and encourage ideas.  We will not stifle our peoples’ passion to learn, grow and develop.  We proactively nurture our talent; we focus on succession at all levels and stages of careers, understanding the importance of having a pipeline of talent to ensure we have flow at all times, supporting our business growth and commitments to our customers.

Steven White
CA Engineering Leader

What made you choose to join RLC?

My previous experience has spanned a number of roles, from industry entry through a Craft Apprenticeship to Project Management positions in numerous large aerospace companies including BAE Systems, Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

I joined RLC because of the autonomy and “ownership” I would have in my role – there is a flat organisational structure and being a privately owned company things move quickly. In reality this means it’s easier to get things done, and there’s not much chance of getting pigeon holed in one function.  You span many if not all of them every day which provides for an interesting spectrum of work and experiences. It is truly inspiring being trusted to make a lasting contribution to RLC and its customers.

What projects are you involved with?

I started work as an Engineering Leader at RLC in September 2014 and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far.  I am currently leading a team to deliver a number of new complex

manufacturing processes. It’s my contribution to developing RLC’s core competences. Acquiring new capabilities, delivering world class end to end solutions for our customers.

What is the RLC culture and working environment like?

RLC has a pleasant work environment with an air of mutual respect for the skills and the knowledge of fellow employees. We are customer focussed and proud to be working on such interesting projects with Tier 1 manufacturers.

Why should someone consider joining RLC?

RLC has provided me with the opportunity to be part of their exciting future, from exposure to innovative manufacturing technologies to providing solutions to its expanding customer base.  I am looking forward to seeing some of the investments and processes that we have implemented in the near future whilst being excited about what’s next. If you are the type of person who thinks big and are ready to roll up your sleeves to make things happen I would recommend RLC to you!