By Aimee Campbell, Learning and Development Graduate at NATS (BSc Psychology 2023)
Get in touch with Aimee on LinkedIn
Introduction
I am currently in the first year of my graduate scheme at NATS, which is focused on Learning and Development within the Technical Services department. NATS is the UK’s leading Air Navigation Service Provider and every year, they handle 2.6 million flights and keep 250 million passengers safe whilst in UK airspace. They also provide air traffic management services to 15 airports in the UK as well as providing these services around the world spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.
I studied Psychology at Royal Holloway and graduated last summer. This blog will hopefully offer some tips and tricks about graduate schemes and highlight what NATS has to offer!
My role
I fall within technical training, which is essentially the training for Air Traffic Control Engineers. A typical day would include various meetings about different projects we are running, forming stakeholder relationships, and working on my assigned tasks. Currently, I am part of the transformation team, where we are looking to improve the training being offered. I have been tasked with exploring a potential Level 4 Apprenticeship route into NATS for engineers, which has been taking up a lot of my time.
Work experience gained as a student
I have no technical knowledge and did not know much about aviation before joining NATS. However, during my time as an undergraduate, I worked in a leisure centre as a lifeguard, then as a customer service advisor and finally as a swim teacher. This work experience did not directly relate to a career I wanted to go into, but it taught me an array of transferable skills including teamwork, communication, and reliability. It can be hard to find work experience as an undergraduate, but most part-time jobs can enhance your skillset, which is essential to put on your CVs and build on in job interviews.
Deciding on what to do after graduation
Whilst I was at university, I did not have a set career path that I wanted to follow. One week I wanted to be an educational psychologist, the next I wanted to work in a cooperative environment. After deciding I did not want to continue doing a master's or doctorate, I began to apply for graduate schemes in HR. I chose HR as I thought it could offer a corporate 9-5, whilst also using my psychology degree in understanding human behaviour. After hours of applications and assessments, I finally got offered an assessment centre on the NATS HR Graduate Scheme. After completing the assessment centre, I was not offered the job. However, NATS highlighted I would be a good candidate for the Learning and Development Graduate Scheme, which is where I am today! It has been a journey, but I love my job! I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and things will happen when they are meant to happen.
Advice for current students
I cannot offer many tips regarding aviation, but if you are looking to get into a graduate scheme, you must be patient and willing to put in the work. It is very unlikely you will get offered the job on the first scheme you apply for but keep on applying and applying (even if it is 50!). What is meant for you, will not pass you by. NATS offer several different graduate schemes, apprenticeships, and industrial placements, so check out their current vacancies if you are interested.
You also need to manage your time, as it can be difficult to juggle university work, potentially a part-time job and apply for graduate schemes. I generally set aside 1 hour each weekday if I could apply/complete assessments for graduate schemes. I also think having a part-time job/ volunteering/ being part of societies is crucial for building your skill set and giving you an array of real-life examples to talk about during interviews, instead of solely focusing on your university experience.
If you are interested in Learning and Development, it is important to keep up to date with different organisations learning offerings, and current trends in the learning industry. Also, show off your area of interest. For me, I highlighted my interest in Psychology and mental health during my interview at NATS, and now I can work on projects I truly enjoy! Be your authentic self and have faith…it will all work out just fine.
Useful resources
Use all the resources that Royal Holloway offers (careers fairs, job boards, CV checkers etc). These are all free resources you should take advantage of.
Students and graduates - NATS- Check out NATS Early Careers offering.
And if you want to chat, do reach out to me on LinkedIn.
I wish you all the luck for your future and may hopefully see some of you around NATS one day!