Skills and People

Finmeccanica prides itself on recruiting the very best, and our operating companies run flourishing graduate and apprentice schemes. The Finmeccanica national apprentice scheme was given glowing Ofsted reports, with an overall ‘Outstanding’ grade. Two Finmeccanica apprentices also won Apprentice of the Year awards.

Participation in Finmeccanica apprenticeship schemes can also count towards membership and Chartership in the Institution of Engineering and Technology; Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Physics.

That means Finmeccanica can offer outstanding opportunities for capable people with the drive and determination to be successful. We believe in nurturing future talent by developing and training people throughout their careers. For example, we offer financial support to business and engineering graduates as they pursue professional qualifications.

All our UK sites have implemented policies covering:

  • Equal Opportunities
  • Work Life Balance
  • Respect at Work
  • Health and Safety Standards
  • Occupational Health (OH)

These policies are regularly updated and included as part of all new employee induction training and form part of our comprehensive employee handbook.

Diversity

Diversity is about harnessing talent and the potential of all employees to achieve success in business goals and to deliver great performance. Finmeccanica in the UK acknowledges the value of recruiting and retaining individuals with exceptional capabilities and qualities that enhance their contribution to the success of the business. Our Diversity policy looks to improve performance through diversity of background, cultures, behaviours, approaches and thinking.

Employee benefits

We aim to provide satisfying and fulfilling careers for our employees so they all receive a comprehensive range of benefits including:

  • High quality training, development and education
  • Annual personal development review
  • Excellent pension provision
  • Occupational Health facilities
  • Provision to cope with issues in their personal lives, such as leave for care of dependants and flexible arrangements to deal with issues away from work

All our companies also provide access to a range of benefits, tailored to the needs of their employees which include access to voluntary benefits, online counselling and advice, childcare vouchers, and access to employee discount schemes.

Investors in People

Many of our UK sites have been accredited with, or are working towards, the Investors in People award.

We FHINK the future bright

The Finmeccanica FHINK Masters Programme is an innovative one-year programme that aims to develop professionals capable of making an impact across the organisation from an international perspective.

The course takes around 30 of the best graduates from the world’s top universities and gives them a rounded mix of academic training, business skills and industrial experience to produce truly dynamic individuals, who can competently manage complex, international, multi-tiered and multi-year projects.

The learning approach is highly original and builds on training and research collaborations with leading international universities. Indeed, the FHINK Faculty includes world class academics, industry experts and company executives. In addition to the business course modules, there are sessions dedicated to soft skills, applied research and developing case studies.

Finally, after one year and 1,500 hours of training, FHINK graduates are offered an opportunity to take up a role within a Finmeccanica Group company.

Edinburgh International Science Festival Brings Technology to Life

2010 marked the fifth year of SELEX Galileo’s annual sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, an event which has become internationally regarded as one of the best examples of interactive, educational entertainment in the world.

The two-week festival hosts more than 100,000 children and young people who attended specially designed workshops that present science and engineering in a meaningful and engaging way.

The SELEX Galileo stand at the most recent event was designed using production and assembly principles drawn from the shop floor. Children were given the opportunity to assemble Rampaging Chariot robots in the workshop area; test the resilience of their creations on an assault course, and then take part in a football tournament. By taking education into a relaxed setting, children can better understand the application of technology and how they can apply it creatively in their own lives.

Meeting on the FLIP side

The Finmeccanica Learning Induction Programme (FLIP) is a four-month training initiative for new graduate recruits, conducted across the Finmeccanica group of companies. It ensures that all new recruits receive a consistent induction to the Finmeccanica Group no matter which part they join, so they can appreciate the breadth and depth of its operations. FLIP helps create a strong sense of identity and culture, and offers the chance for graduates to make international contacts within the group and meet up face-to-face in different countries. FLIP is very popular and helps create long-term relationships. Those who participate see it as essential networking that helps further their understanding of different projects and activities from within the Finmeccanica Group.

 

“As a major employer, we make a substantial impact on the communities that we operate in and seek to act in a way that benefits all of our stakeholders – by forming very strong links with local schools and other educational establishments, for example. In addition to providing real advantages to the community, we understand that these activities benefit us as a company, too. We take our duties and obligations with regard to corporate responsibility very seriously and recognise that we need to continuously improve our approach by applying sound management practices and continuously educating and involving our employees. We also believe that a strong corporate responsibility agenda is entirely consistent with offering world-leading skills in innovation and management. Our ambition is to ensure that all our employees understand our values and aspirations so that we can constantly improve how we do things.”
Martin Flavell Vice President, HR, Finmeccanica UK

  

AgustaWestland promotes engineering in schools AgustaWestland conducts a year-round programme of activities with around 25 schools and sixth-form colleges in the local Yeovil area to encourage an interest in engineering and promote AgustaWestland as an employer of choice.

‘Imagineering Clubs’ are run at the end of the primary school day to demonstrate various engineering concepts through a number of working models. AgustaWestland also has a key presence at the Imagineering exhibition at the Bath and West Show, displaying several hands-on engineering activities from the stand and running a ‘schools challenge’ competition.

In support of the science and technology curriculum, ‘Flight Packs’ of eight consecutive lessons on the principles of helicopters and flight are provided to schools. There are work experience opportunities for the older children; industry day presentations and careers fairs, open days and options evenings.

The company is also deeply involved with several related organisations, including STEMNET, which aims to encourage more young people to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related careers; Connexions Somerset, which provides advice and guidance to 13-19 year-olds; and the Industrial Trust, which provides out-of-school educational experiences and many others.

Engineering our future

Finmeccanica had taken a leading role in a local project combining industry, universities and schools to illustrate in an interactive and stimulating way, the science and engineering principles behind subjects that students find most interesting.

This project was coordinated and conducted by young members of Finmeccanica staff that have successfully progressed in the business through graduate placements. It was delivered in the form of a workshop, in an informal environment, where key industry individuals offered advice and spoke on the positive societal contributions that science and engineering have made. It also provided a forum for students to discuss any issues or doubts that they may have.

SELEX Elsag develops consistent style of leadership

Leaders at all levels within SELEX Elsag receive personal development training to enhance their management and motivational capability. Around 130 people have now participated in this programme, representing almost 1 in 6 of the workforce.

The course was specifically tailored for SELEX Elsag by external specialists, and is made up of five separate modules, which can take up to nine months to complete. The modules aim to produce a consistent style of leadership, and focus on developing motivational skills to improve performance at all levels across the business. Indeed, the programme was introduced in recognition that effective leadership will be the crucial factor to success in today’s competitive markets.

The modules are highly participative and mixed with learning activities that involve individuals and their managers. Training is provided both internally and externally, and there is 360 degree feedback at the beginning and end of the programme so that participants can track their progress.

Members of the SELEX Elsag senior management team play a prominent part in the final module, supporting and providing feedback to the participants. Upon completion, all participants receive a certificate to mark their achievement.

Training Capabilities

In many core markets our customers want to receive total capability rather than products or systems. This drive to have industry deliver more
integrated offerings has given us the opportunity to apply the benefit of our investment in skills and people right into the centre of the market. Delivery of training is now a core capability which we offer into the market-place either as part of an overall package or as a capability in its own right. To support this business activity around the group, we have developed an extensive infrastructure of classrooms, synthetic environments and teaching aids. This has also proven its worth as an aid to the solution design process, enabling us to constantly improve our service to the customer.