Ready to hit great heights in engineering? Early Careers at Heathrow

Ready to hit great heights in engineering?

There’s no place like Heathrow

Women searching for the best possible start to their engineering careers need to look no further than Heathrow’s graduate programme.

As one of the world’s busiest airports, Heathrow is like a city within a city, full of unique challenges and the chance to connect with people.

Heathrow’s engineering teams work across the airport on a vast range of state-of-the-art development, construction and maintenance projects. Together, they are responsible for £14bn worth of assets, including 4 million square metres of airfield pavements, 180km of roads, 33 surface car parks, 50 tunnels and 31 bridges, not to mention the largest private water distribution system in Europe.

Heathrow’s Future Leadership Development Programme offers four exciting engineering streams: Electronic, Operational Technology, Civil, and Fire.  The three-year professional development programme inspires graduates to develop the skills, experience and confidence to lead on projects – from terminal, airside and landside operations to rail and power generation.

Graduates will be supported by a dedicated mentor who can answer any questions about the organisation and help find solutions to any challenge. An assigned ‘buddy’ will show new starters the ropes until they find their feet, and in the final months, a senior sponsor from Heathrow’s leadership team steps in to help build their networks, challenging their thinking and unlocking opportunities.

By the end of the process, the business expects graduates to have achieved either Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status and, ideally, be ready to be fast-tracked into a managerial role. It’s comprehensive and defined training, as well as one-to-one coaching such as this that creates future leaders at Heathrow and in engineering in general.

Creating a welcoming culture is where Heathrow really thrives. Day in day out, Heathrow welcomes passengers with unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from around the world. The same goes for its community of colleagues. It’s an organisation that believes in bridging the gaps between people, with a safe and inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity that each member of Heathrow brings.

You’ll find plenty of support, encouragement and opportunities for networking at Heathrow including the Women in Engineering and Baggage group, and the Altitude Network which aims to ensure that gender is never a barrier. Furthermore, Heathrow is a signatory supporter of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter, which supports the progression of women into senior roles, and gender diversity and inclusion across all areas of aviation. Colleagues at Heathrow are also involved in STEMAZING and Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) networks.

Whether it’s the exceptional training and role models, or the uniquely supportive environment, there are so many reasons a career can take off at Heathrow. For endless opportunities to make a difference, graduates can explore their early career pathways here >