A career partnership between West Herts College and a leading aeronautical engineering organisation has given two talented students the opportunity to undertake internship placements and secure employment following the completion of their course.
The partnership between West Herts College and Eirtech began in Autumn 2025 following a review into the Level 3 Aeronautical Engineering programme. This review confirmed that the Aeronautical Engineering course covers a large proportion of the key skills needed for Eirtech’s early career roles and provides a good introduction to the type of aircraft engineering practiced at the company.
Eirtech felt confident that the students undertaking this qualification would be well placed to join their team in early career roles. Two students in the final year of their course, Archy Bertrand and JJ Banda, were subsequently offered internship placements at Eirtech. As part of their four-month internship, Archy and JJ learned from experienced engineers and shadowed commercial projects. Eirtech were especially impressed with their enthusiasm and how quickly Archy and JJ could implement skills they had learned in the classroom, most notably Computer Aided Design.
After Eirtech determined that Archy and JJ were good fits for their organisation and had integrated well into the team, both were offered employment as Student Design Engineers following the completion of their course.
Russell Wenman, Senior VP Business Development at Eirtech, emphasised the importance of building strong career partnerships with colleges:
“We were inspired to partner with West Herts College because there is a general shortage of engineers in the industry now. We all need a helping hand at some point during our career and we’re more than happy to take students who are willing to learn and help them get involved with the industry. It has certainly dispelled the myth that young people aren’t being prepared by colleges and universities for work and hopefully it has given them the opportunity to get involved in the industry without all the barriers that prevent students from getting into business.”
Amanda Washbrook, Executive Principal at West Herts College, praised Eirtech for their role in the partnership:
“Eirtech is a great example of a company who invests in developing their staff and who are looking for people for those early career roles that they will then nurture throughout their careers.”
Archy shared how his experience on the internship has benefitted him:
“Being able to fit in and do the work and present myself the way I have has definitely built my confidence and showed me I can make a career in this industry.”
JJ echoed Archy’s sentiments:
“To get a job at this age is incredible, especially a job of your dreams in a path that you want to go down. The sky’s the limit. With a company like this who will push us forward and develop us as workers.”
By providing pathways into high-quality careers at a leading aeronautical engineering organisation, the partnership between West Herts and Eirtech proves that students directly benefit from purposeful engagement between colleges and employers.
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