Kevin Cadd – Composite Processing Engineer
MEng Aeronautical Engineering
I have been working for Gurit here on the sunny
Isle of Wight for nearly a year and a half but
haven’t really had time to stop and count!
Developing new products, prototyping, formulating
new materials, designing experiments, problem
solving, travelling and working with customers
all over the world… there really is something
for everyone and it feels like I’ve been
involved in all of it so far. Whether its boats,
cars, wind turbines or even industrial chimney
liners that interest you, composite materials
are everywhere, and so it seems are Gurit.
Whilst I have focused on Wind Energy, I have
also been involved in a wide range of projects
and products, which I am encouraged to lead
and push through to completion under my own
initiative – plenty of responsibility
and chances to prove myself. Something that
is valued highly at Gurit is working closely
together and sharing knowledge through all departments,
whether that can be done in the corridor or
even at the pub, it all helps to build a friendly
and highly social atmosphere.
I was originally lured to the island by the
graduate scheme offered by Gurit, the true nature
of which wasn’t obvious until I visited
for an interview. Having gone through the trauma
of applying to what seemed like fifty thousand
identical schemes, what immediately stood out
at Gurit were the opportunities that are available
to you from the very beginning. Gurit’s
philosophy for graduates is to expose them to
as many different aspects of the company as
possible such as materials formulation, composite
processing, composite material production, structural
engineering and even prototyping. I found this
to be invaluable as, like most people finishing
university, I still totally lacked direction
and this gave me a genuine insight into the
real world and how all those long materials
lectures fitted in to the grand scheme of things
and actually make money.
I can confidently say that I did the right
thing in choosing Gurit over other schemes,
something that becomes more apparent when talking
to my friends who chose to work for larger companies
whose schemes are more established. I have it
on good authority (well, my friends that is,)
that these schemes lack the personal touch and
don’t present increasing opportunities
to play a meaningful role within the company
from day one.
Another important aspect of Gurit is its location
on a small, quiet island just off the south
coast. This may not sound like it has the same
social opportunities as the students union,
but actually it does. It’s not far from
Southampton or Portsmouth, then the swelling
population throughout the summer months have
fun, drink and maybe do a bit of sailing, with
many carnivals, festivals and samba bands as
you like all with beaches on the sides! It’s
actually not such a bad place to live and I
haven’t looked back.
If you want to be challenged from day one,
be given the responsibility and opportunity
to drive your own projects and get results using
your own initiative, work with interesting people
all over the world, and have the chance to travel,
then you could do worse than applying for Gurit
- far worse! |
