Josh, tell us a bit about joining BAE Systems.
Before I joined BAE Systems I was the head chef at The Tredegar Arms, a pub in Shirenewton and also working on my Level 3 Mechanical Engineering Extended Diploma with Coleg Gwent. Getting the job here was a mixture of luck and a long term goal, the luck was that I went to college after A-levels so I started the apprenticeship three years after I traditionally should have, but it was the first year that Glascoed were actually offering a Degree Apprenticeship. The long term planning is the fact that I’ve wanted to work for BAE Systems since I was about seven years old, the company did a roadshow at my primary school and ran an engineering competition, which I won and the prize was a first generation iPod shuffle which is currently still on my desk at home.
I’d say to not only take the opportunities that are presented to you, but take some responsibility into your own hands and seek out and create those opportunities for yourself...Josh, Munitons Product Engineer
Congratulations on winning the Glascoed Apprentice of the Year 2023 award – how did this feel?
It felt great, like a send-off to formal education with some final reward and recognition after five years on the apprenticeship scheme, and it felt like a separation from what I’ve been doing to what’s ahead in my career. It can feel like a long journey at times but looking back I have no idea where the time went, it’s a strange feeling not having any extra work to do after the day job.
What were the highs and lows of 2023?
2023 was a good year so it’s hard to pick one high, personally the biggest high would have to be taking my campervan on the NC500 road trip, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Closely followed with buying my first house just before Christmas, four years of living in a flat, particularly through lockdown has made me extremely grateful to have a garden. I can’t go without mentioning work, which obviously would be finishing my degree with First Class Honours, that’s definitely a high point that I’ve been working towards for a long time and also receiving the ‘Emerging Engineer of the Year Award’. My low would be having the sale of my flat fall through at the last minute. Luckily, I found a new buyer in time but it was definitely a stressful month.
What have you learnt along the way, any top tips?
My top tip would be to build your network, I’ve been lucky enough to work all over Glascoed and get to know people in probably every department we have. Finding the right person to talk to about a project is half the battle sometimes so if you already have those connections it makes things much easier.
What is your advice for people starting their career with BAE Systems?
I’d say to not only take the opportunities that are presented to you, but take some responsibility into your own hands and seek out and create those opportunities for yourself and don’t just stick to opportunities in the Glascoed perimeter, many of my best experiences in the company have come from off the cuff conversations with people around the business and in my experience everyone wants to support what you’re doing.
What do you enjoy outside of work and how do you relax?
On rainy days you can usually find me getting involved in some sort of DIY project, but if the weather is looking good then you can find me in the outdoors and usually in cold water, I converted a campervan in 2022 so I try and spend as much time I can travelling round the UK seeing what we have to offer, and using it to facilitate my outdoorsy hobbies, usually hiking through the mountains, surfing, rock climbing, wakeboarding and paddleboarding, but generally anything that I consider an adventure helps me disconnect and relax.
Any new year’s resolutions?
Spend more time outdoors, our 2023 summer wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for so fingers crossed this year we get some better weather or I buy some better wet weather clothes and I can get out a lot more! And of course the old classic ‘get back in the gym’ will be lurking in the background every year.
And finally, what’s in store for 2024?
2024 will be my first full year as a fully-fledged engineer so above everything else, I’m looking forward to delivering longer term projects compared with what I’ve been able to do so far - there’s a lot of exciting projects going on at the moment. Once I’ve enjoyed the break from education and ‘extra work’, then the next step in my career would be looking towards chartership.
1. Name five celebrities you would invite for dinner and what would you cook?
Ed Stafford, Shaun White, Ewan McGregor, Professor Brian Cox and Jack Whitehall, a mixture of Adventure, Star Wars, Science and good laughs. Then I’d cook chorizo stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto, with a chorizo cream sauce, parmentier potatoes and tenderstem broccoli, a favourite from my previous life as a chef.
2. Favourite sport/sports team?
Formula 1, Mercedes and McLaren, a British driver pairing for Mercedes and British team with McLaren.
3. If you had to recommend a book you’ve read, which would it be?
I don’t read nearly as much as I should, in fact you can probably count the books I’ve read cover to cover on one hand, however ‘Ant Middleton – First Man In’, is a firm favourite.
4. What career did you dream of having when you were younger?
As boring as it is I’ve always wanted to be an Engineer, my father (pictured in Josh’s graduation photo) was an engineer and it’s in my blood, although in another life I think I would’ve enjoyed some kind of mountain guide/outdoor activity instructor job.
5. If you could only take one thing with you on a desert island, what would it be?
My partner, I’d need good company and we’ve watched enough survival shows to know what we’re doing (I think).
6. If you could teleport right now, where would you go?
Oldshoremore, an amazing beach on the NC500 with clear water, good waves and hardly any people.
7. What did you last search on Google?
Fire & Fork menu, we drove past it after hiking the Blorenge and it looks like a good BBQ restaurant in Abergavenny to celebrate us buying our house!
8. What skill would you like to master?
Languages, I love travelling to new countries and I always feel guilty not knowing the language
9. What takes up too much of your time?
Washing up, although the new house has a dishwasher so now hopefully that changes!
10. And finally… What’s the best single day in your calendar?
Good Friday, because it starts the one week of the year that I always take leave and go away somewhere for 10 days, usually in the van on a road trip.