Graduates kickstart defence journey with BAE Systems

Some of Australia’s brightest minds have started work on major defence works being undertaken across the country.

SA graduate Nader Madi, 28, has secured a job with BAE following completion of his graduate placement program.

Some of Australia’s brightest minds have started work on major defence works being undertaken across the country.

BAE Systems Australia’s newest cohort of 83 graduates started working in early February at different sites around the country, including Edinburgh Parks in SA – double the number employed by the company in 2018.

The company now has 128 graduates across its business and has started recruiting for more than 120 positions to start in 2020 as major projects such as the Hunter Class Frigate Program continue to ramp up.

The two-year program offers the graduates four placements that will see them working on critically important defence projects and within various support functions across BAE Australia’s Canberra, Sydney and Williamtown, Portsmith, Adelaide, Melbourne and Henderson sites.

The company said more than 2500 students had applied for the 83 roles. More than a third of graduates starting this week are women.

BAE Systems Australia chief executive Gabby Costigan said the graduate program was critical in developing potential future leaders within the business and elsewhere in the defence industry.

“We work with graduates to continuously tailor the program so that it meets their career development and ensures that we have some of the brightest minds developing solutions for our defence force,” she said. SA graduate Nader Madi, 28, is at the end of his placement and has secured a full time role with the business.

“I wanted to be a part of an international organisation that was focused on developing advanced technologies and offered a structured graduate program to transition from university to the workforce. BAE Systems offered all that and more,” he said.

“I’ve been trusted with challenging yet exciting work that involves a great amount of responsibility.

“I’ve travelled and explored our UK business, engaged with our management board members and have enjoyed a flexible working environment along the way,” he said. Mr Madi said he was hesitant about applying for roles within the defence industry because he thought it would be “very restrictive”.

“I was very pleased when I discovered that it was quite the opposite.”

Find out more about 2020 graduate positions at careers.au.baesystems.com