First ever Leonardo Degree Apprentices in Luton excel

Early careers managers working at the Company created a continuous feedback loop between the degree apprentices, their placement managers, the University of Hertfordshire and Bedford College. This ensured that the students received relevant learning experiences on live programmes, which would align with their academic work.

Jo Hughes, Early Careers Business Partner at Leonardo said: “We created a learning journey through our mechanical, software, electronics and systems engineering, so they could have confidence about their depth of knowledge and understanding within their engineering discipline. For us, one of our biggest selling points of these apprenticeships is that each apprentice rotates around a wide range of live programmes, giving them a fast track of growth and development. The fact that they have managed to complete their degrees with such outstanding grades is exceptional. They all have fantastic reputations within their teams and the wider business. I think they all have very bright futures ahead of them.”

The cohort began their apprenticeships amid challenging circumstances in September 2020, during the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, which resulted in much of their first year of learning being online.

However, Degree Apprentices Solomon McKiernan, Harry Jackson, Runjie Wei, Alex Wall and Taiye Jebutu, and Technical Apprentices Melissa Hobbs and Alex Davis all settled in well, and when Covid restrictions were lifted, they attended in-person lectures and worked in Leonardo’s labs at Luton. The Degree Apprentices studied with the University of Hertfordshire and the Technical Apprentices studied with Bedford College.

Outside their studies, the apprentices also made a significant contribution to the Luton site’s charitable initiatives, taking part in a skydive, Three Peaks Challenge, car washes and Serpentine swim, as well as organising football tournaments. As part of Leonardo’s inclusion and diversity programme, Melissa has become an active member of the Carers network, delivering awareness presentations across the company and being an advocate for colleagues with caring responsibilities.

After presenting certificates to the graduates, Leonardo’s Senior Vice President Electronic Warfare, Iain Bancroft, added: “This cohort experienced an unconventional programme with many changes and challenges, but they have all taken these head on to achieve great results in their qualifications, building their networks and now moving into permanent roles across the business. I congratulate Sol, Harry, Melissa, Runjie, Alex, Alex and Taiye on their achievements, and look forward to seeing them progress their careers with Leonardo.”