Scott Leslie

Edinburgh  05 March 2021
Test Equipment Technician

Meet Scott, who works in the Test Engineering Department at our Edinburgh site, having completed his apprenticeship with Leonardo last year.

When did you start your apprenticeship?

I joined Leonardo in August 2016

What did you study at school?

I studied Higher Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry and French, and then went on to do Advanced Highers in Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

What apprenticeship did you complete?

The Design Engineering Technical Modern Apprenticeship.

Why did you think an apprenticeship was the right path for your career development?

At school, I could absorb information well, but at times had to physically see certain things in order to understand them and the way they worked. Being a visual learner, I believed that an apprenticeship would be the right path for me as it would allow me to mix the hands-on practical experiences with the theoretical aspects of learning. I thought that mixing the two of these would allow me to enhance my learning and get the most out of myself. Getting paid while learning on the job was also a huge motivator for me.

Why did you join Leonardo?

My father worked for the Ministry of Defence for 28 years. He made me aware of Selex (the company name at the time, before it became Leonardo) and its work. I had a look through the company’s website and applied. Although I had some offers for an apprenticeship with other companies, once I had attended the assessment centre I knew I was set on joining Leonardo due to the well laid out and structured apprenticeship. The three-month placements appealed to me as I knew I wanted to do engineering, I just didn’t know what type, so I knew this would allow me to sample different departments and ultimately find my preferred field.

What is your current role at Leonardo?

I currently hold the role of Test Equipment Technician within the Test Engineering Department, where I am designing, developing, integrating and testing test equipment for a technical demonstrator product and various advanced targeting products.

Tell us what you do in a typical day / week

In a typical day I design cable assemblies, run boxes and printed circuit boards. I also create facility interconnection diagrams in order to hook up a facility as required. Following on from this, I physically integrate run boxes and cables to and from their required locations and build up full test facilities. I also support the shop floor when they are building cables and run boxes, and attend various meetings such as material load boards and project-based meetings.

What do enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the varied nature of the job that comes with working within test equipment. One day I could be designing something at my desk and the next I could be in the laboratory to wire a console. Every day is different and there is a wide range of work which makes me motivated and focussed, as well as helping me overall to become a more well-rounded engineer.

What have been your biggest achievements at Leonardo so far?

One of my biggest achievements at Leonardo so far has been winning apprentice of the year for the Edinburgh site in my 3rd year. Another has been attending the annual Edinburgh Business Awards at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce in order to receive the Developing Young Workforce Award on behalf of the apprenticeship. Finally, another achievement has been being chosen to attend the ADS Parliamentary Reception where I met with MPs to discuss the apprenticeship, company and defence industry. Following on from this visit, I appeared in the ‘Edinburgh Evening News’ newspaper which was a great highlight of my career thus far.

What related activities are you involved with outside your specific job role?

Above and beyond my specific job role, I help main equipment meet their deadlines. Sometimes a main equipment delivery date may be on a tighter time schedule than test equipment and they require support. Here, if necessary, I help out main equipment as much as possible with trials and tests as I am familiar with the test set-up and equipment. This also allows me to become more familiar with the main equipment.

What are your career aspirations?

I hope to continue to impress within my department and excel within the business by broadening my knowledge base – both through theoretical (which I am currently pursuing through my Electronics and Electrical degree that I have been undertaking since the completion of the apprenticeship) and practical experiences within the business during my day to day work. I aspire to move up through the job family framework from engineer to senior engineer to principal engineer to lead engineer in order to ultimately end up as chief engineer for test equipment.

Why should someone consider an apprenticeship at Leonardo?

My apprenticeship at Leonardo has been life-changing. It has allowed me to kick-start a career in engineering and allowed me to learn both on the job and through college while getting paid for it. I have increased my people skills through meeting a large number of different people and also bettered my practical skills by working with top class engineers in the industry every day.

Apprenticeships at Leonardo

Apprenticeships at Leonardo

Our highly-regarded apprenticeship programmes – covering hardware and software engineering, business and cyber security – offer intensive training programme lasting 2-4 years, which results in apprentices graduating with a substantial depth of skills in their specialist area.