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Since launching in 2023, two UK cohorts have gone through the Test & Evaluation Sovereign Skills Program (TESSP) and a number of those participants have now graduated, including Sarah, who we recently interviewed about her time on the Program. We found out how it afforded her the opportunity to apply for a new job role based upon what she had learned, and how that will benefit the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) going forward.

Participant Background

Sarah started her role as a Safety Engineer at RAF Coningsby in 2017, and has since progressed to Senior Safety Engineer and Team Leader. Sarah’s primary focus has been on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Safety and Environment programme.

Before joining TESSP, Sarah had no T&E experience, and joined after hearing about the exciting work and trials that QinetiQ was getting involved with, as well as the opportunity for professional and personal growth.

“The T&E Sovereign Skills Program was really appealing to me as it was an opportunity to be mentored in a new technical domain, whilst also continuing my existing roles as BBMF Technical Lead and Team Leader. This was a great opportunity for me personally and the program was set up in such a way that my existing project wasn’t affected significantly, as I was able to continue doing customer work whilst being trained in the additional role of a Trials Assurance Lead (TAL).”

Participant Journey

During her time on the program, Sarah was exposed to a variety of trials, ranges, and Subject Matter Experts. Activities included seeing the setup for DragonFire and reviewing documents to understand the hazards associated with the operation of such a system and trial. It allowed her to see the sheer complexity and logistics involved with such a high profile and technically complex trial.

Sarah was fortunate enough to visit and start to build key relationships with colleagues at MOD Aberporth and MOD Hebrides, shadowing the Trials Assurance Leads. At these sites Sarah observed trial run-throughs which were conducted from the control rooms and operations centre. Sarah also received tours of the sites to understand the scale of equipment and facilities at the ranges including telemetry, radars, surveillance (maritime and air) and target systems.

“At MOD Hebrides and MOD Aberporth the staff at both sites were extremely supportive in showing me how the ranges are operated and the various services QinetiQ offers. I gained an appreciation for how significant the ranges are in the world of T&E, and how the 2 Air Ranges support each other. I witnessed some of the challenges faced whilst ensuring safe land, air and maritime space for live trials, which included observing the systems QinetiQ has in place to mitigate the challenges. MOD Aberporth had an added advantage that I was fortunate enough to see a number of dolphins playing off the coast.”

Life after the program

Whilst completing the TESSP award and benefitting from mentoring and support from the Trials Assurance Lead team, Sarah felt confident in applying for a Typhoon Trials Management Officer role at RAF Coningsby and was successful. Having started her new role in the New Year, Sarah is drawing on her relationships with staff at MOD Aberporth and MOD Hebrides, built up from her time on the Program. The customer will also benefit from the knowledge gained, and how this is applied in her new role.

“TESSP has enabled me to develop an understanding of T&E and has exposed me to QinetiQ trials processes across the ranges. It has given me a much wider view of the work QinetiQ does, the sites QinetiQ operates from and has enabled me to build valuable relationships with QinetiQ personnel at the ranges that I wouldn’t have made without TESSP. Being a part of the program gave me the confidence, experience and knowledge required to be successful in applying for my new role.”

QinetiQ is committed to further investing in the Test & Evaluation Sovereign Skills Program, to enhance T&E capability and meet the T&E demands of our customers around the world.

To find out more about the program, what we do in Test and Evaluation, and to express your interest please visit our sovereign skills web page