b'Partner News Spring 2024 5IET updatesBecause you have thepower to support the engineers of tomorrowIET Member Abhijit Pandits story shows how support can supercharge a young engineers career.Abhijit is less than a year into his role as asupport, but also personal support fromAbhijit, however, used the bulk of his financial propulsion systems engineer at Thales Aleniamentors and the organisation itself, he notes.award to fund a visiting student research Space UK, after completing a masters inprogramme at NASAs Jet Propulsion engineering specialising in aerospace andHaving these relationships with industryLaboratory (JPL), something he knows he control engineering at The University ofprofessionals allowed me to better navigatewas very fortunate to be able to do. The Cambridge.this new world, and the internship gave me myprogramme entailed two and a half months first real exposure to the space industry whichworking in the JPLs mission design navigation He cites his IET scholarship as the reasonwas hugely important to my engineeringteam in Los Angeles, USA. hes in the position he finds himself today,education and early career. thanks to the exposure and developmentThis opportunity would not have been opportunities it provided him. As part of Abhijits IET scholarship he waspossible without the funds from my IET awarded 1,000 a year to support hisscholarship. Simply put, theres a lot Ive My IET Diamond Jubilee Scholarship waseducation. Many scholars use these funds toalready got to experience that I wouldnt supported by Thales, who went into a jointbuy things like a computer, or to help withhave been able to access without the venture with Leonardo to create the companyliving costs.financial support or through industry I now work at. Through the connections Irelationships that have come from my made with Thales via the scholarship, I wasscholarship. I honestly dont think I wouldable to secure an internship at Thales Aleniabe in my current role without it. Space in my second year of university. Colin Scouller MIET, UK Head of Engineering From there I was able to pursue my mastersEarly Careers at Thales, shared: Thales has project and was later offered my currentbeen supporting the IETs scholarship and graduate role.bursary schemes since 2017. These have provided us with excellent opportunities Abhijit first heard about IET scholarships, nowto engage directly with future engineering known as the Future Talent Awards, throughtalent from diverse backgrounds, and we are a UCAS newsletter and thought it wouldvery pleased to have welcomed Abhijit as an be a great opportunity to make industryemployee of the Thales Alenia Space business. connections and gain more exposure toWe wish him all the very best in his career engineering.ahead. The concept of engineering is touchedTo find out more about the IETs Future upon at school, but its not a taught subject,Talent Awards and how your company therefore students can often feel quitecan partner with the IET to engage with daunted entering this world. I think havingand support up-and-coming engineers, schemes like the IETs makes everything a lotplease contact our Fundraising team at less daunting, as you not only receive financialdevelopment@theiet.org.'