Clearing gives Euan a flying start to his career

Euan Roberts has been passionate about outer space since he was a child, and now his career is about to take off after enrolling at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) through Clearing.

Due to graduate with a First in Aeronautical Engineering BEng (Hons) next month, Euan has already landed a place on a two-year graduate scheme with ONTIC, a supplier of aircraft parts to some of the world’s leading aerospace brands.

The 22-year-old said: “I got the job back in April, before I even did my final exams, so it was a big weight off my shoulders. It feels really good to be starting my career in the industry soon and it wouldn’t have been possible without DMU.”

Lacking an A-level in Maths, Euan was initially rejected from his first choice of university, so he completed an extra year at college studying product design, physics and engineering.

“When I discovered that DMU accepts students with a Physics A-level onto its engineering courses through Clearing, I went ahead and applied for Mechanical Engineering,” said Euan.

“At that point I had no idea they offered a high-level course like Aeronautical Engineering through Clearing. It turns out they did though and the process was quite simple.

“When I called the Clearing team they went through my options and I had my offer within a couple of days. I needed a quick response as term time was coming up quickly and they were very efficient.”

Soon, Euan will be moving away from home for the first time ever to start his graduate scheme, after beating nearly 300 other applicants to secure one of two available roles.

He initially planned to continue studying at postgraduate level, until he learned about graduate schemes through DMU’s Careers Team. The team supported him with his CV, applications and interview tips.

Euan said: “I applied to so many schemes before being invited to interview with ONTIC. Because of the range of modules I studied at DMU, I was able to answer some really tough technical questions, which I think helped.

“Some of our modules were very challenging, having had no prior knowledge of the subjects before. But I came out of them with so many new skills and experience.”

One of Euan’s degree highlights has been DMU’s wind tunnel facility, enabling students to understand the fundamentals of aerodynamics, test prototype aircraft models and develop experimental skills relevant to aeronautics.

“Barely any other unis have a wind tunnel. I feel fortunate to have been able to use it to simulate things like the lift and drag experienced during flights, and the effectiveness of a wing,” he said.

“It’s also quite special to be able to say that DMU’s AIRFOX DISO flight simulator was coded by tutors that taught me. Also, our Human Factors and Aviation Management module is taught by a current captain for Virgin Atlantic, which is inspiring in so many ways.”

Euan has come a long way since starting his degree and has big plans for the future. He said: “I was a nervous introvert when I first arrived at DMU, wondering what I was doing here, but before I knew it, I had made friends for life.

“Since I was around 10 year sold, I knew I wanted to work in aerospace. I didn’t want to be an astronaut, just to be responsible for finding out more about space. One day, I hope to have my name attributed to getting people on Mars.”