AERALIS is thrilled to support the Civilian Work Attachment (CWA) scheme, the MoD’s official provider of Armed Forces Resettlement which connects industry to leavers from the Armed Forces. The scheme is of great benefit to both parties, providing access to relevant work experience for the intern and giving AERALIS unrivalled access to ex-military talent, knowledge and expertise.

Timothy Gucek, former Air Engineering Technician in the Royal Navy, recently interned with AERALIS and had the following to say about his placement:

“Leaving the Armed Forces is always a period of apprehension. You may feel concerned that your resettlement is being used wrongly, that you’re taking the wrong courses, that your experience isn’t easily transferred to the role you want, or even that you simply don’t know what you want to do.

“I decided to do the majority of my qualifications and training before I even hit the resettlement period and explored my options before I submitted my notice to leave the RN. Doing this allowed me to have a substantial amount of leave left over to do with as I pleased.

From day one I was given a role, a job title and the autonomy to put my military aviation experience into use…

“Given that I was as qualified as I wanted to be, I used my time to undertake a placement with AERALIS through the Civilian Work Attachment (CWA) scheme. AERALIS is an exciting organisation doing some really ambitious work that will disrupt the whole aerospace and defence market. I started not really knowing what to expect and it was a very steep learning curve. From day one I was given a role, a job title and the autonomy to put my military aviation experience into use by developing strategies and plans for the Through Life Support of the AERALIS modular jet.

“TLS may not sound like the most thrilling area to work in but I cannot recommend it enough for a service leaver. It gave me exposure to absolutely every area of the business both within AERALIS and with the engineering and design partners and, in reality, it is actually a diverse and exciting engineering discipline which can lead to Chartered Engineer registration.

There is absolutely nothing I have found in terms of qualifications that offers the same level of real-world experience that I gained at AERALIS.

“I spent around 3 months on the CWA and I came away with a wealth of experience, a network of highly talented, qualified and extremely well-regarded industry professionals as well as the knowledge that the work I carried out will directly contribute to the success of this game-changing aircraft. There is absolutely nothing I have found in terms of qualifications that offers the same level of real-world experience that I gained at AERALIS.

“I would highly recommend to anyone who is unsure on how to utilise their resettlement time and can spend 4-12 weeks on a placement to reach out to AERALIS. I am confident that without this experience I would not be in the position I am now with my future role. The support from the business and the people in AERALIS was phenomenal, setting me in good stead for civilian life.”

“It was great welcoming Tim to the team this year. Working with personnel leaving the military helps us at AERALIS to connect to the end users that our products will serve, ensuring the aircraft is designed with the customer at the very core of everything we do. We are deeply committed to supporting talent from the Services, and if you are interested in a work placement with us, please contact media@aeralis.com.”

Luca Leone, AERALIS Head of Digital Programme

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