Engineering graduate gets dream job with Rolls Royce
Engineering graduate Aftab Afzal stands proud after landing his dream job with Rolls Royce one of the most prestigious engineering companies in the world.
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 15:14:00 BST
International graduate Aftab Afzal praises the University for helping him with his career
Getting his dream job with Rolls Royce has become a reality for Aftab Afzal, who now has a career as an Electronics Engineer with one of the most prestigious engineering companies in the world.
Aftab Afzal is pictured in front of the RB211 22B, a very successsful Trent series of engines made by Rolls- Royce, that are used on the Airbus A380 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
Aftab, who is originally from Oman, now works at the Birmingham branch of Aero Engine Controls (AEC), part of the Rolls-Royce Group, where they supply engine control equipment for everything from small auxiliary power units through to the largest turbofan.
Aftab gained a Distinction for his Masters in Electronics Engineering, but he firmly believes the main reason behind his success was the support he had from his family and tutors, especially when he had to take a break away from his studies after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
“I have now made a full recovery, although I struggled with my speech and had to learn to walk again” said Aftab. “I thought I was going to be out of education for a year but my family and tutors were there to support me all the way.”
Following in the footsteps of his father who is a civil engineer in Oman, Aftab has always had a real passion for electronics, even fixing his own PlayStation One games console when he was a young boy. Soon after completing his secondary education from Pakistan School Salalah in Oman, Aftab did some research and found out that the University of Huddersfield's engineering degree was held in high esteem all over the world, and he knew he had to apply.
Aftab explained he had slight reservations at first because of how difficult it can be for international students to get work-placements and jobs whilst being abroad: “If you are a non-UK national this can often prove very difficult but with the help of the University's placement scheme within the School of Computing and Engineering, in the third year of my BEng degree I took part in a really successful one year work-placement as an industrial engineer for Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems in Peterborough where I got hands on experience in my chosen industry. This shows just how successful the University is at helping students get into work during and after their studies. ”
The University prides itself on giving students industry standard equipment and software (pictured right) to develop their engineering skills and the Electronics CAD software used to teach the students has helped Aftab to quickly become familiar with the software used at Rolls Royce.
“It has proved invaluable for developing my engineering skills because when you start your first job it can often take time before you are given the responsibility to work on the high profile projects. But because of their confidence in the skills I had obtained from my degree here at the University, from day one, they have had me working on the important assignments, which is great.”
Aftab has been involved in certification of Trent XWB EEC which has been installed on Trent XWB Engine for Airbus A350. The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, specifically designed for operation on the Airbus A350 XWB family, is the most efficient large civil aerospace engine ever produced.
Dr Violeta Holmes who supervised Aftab for his Master's degree, praised him for all his achievements: “Gaining a Distinction for his MSc Electronic and Computer Based Systems Design course was such a great achievement given that he had to overcome a serious illness during a part of the course.”
Dr Holmes continues: “Aftab had the determination and courage to succeed which is inspirational. He is a creative and very capable engineer and so this was recognised by Rolls Royce who have offered him employment.”
Aftab wants to pass on his positive experiences to other international students who are questioning whether are not they should come and study in the UK.
“If I can do all of this I think anyone can. The support I received from my family and tutor's, especially Dr Peter Mather and Dr Violeta Holmes, was amazing throughout my time here at University. The town is so lovely and friendly as are all the people.
“I am now planning on staying in the UK as I have found my dream job and am now married to the love of my life and have a son. I couldn't be happier. And I owe this to my family, the University of Huddersfield and the very special tutors who supported me throughout.”
