Neil Holm - Project Management

Neil Holm’s career with Military Air Solutions has been one of contrasts. Based at Warton, on the Lancashire coast, he has been a project engineer on the Typhoon programme and has worked directly for the HR Director, looking at how a better project management framework can be built around HR’s deliverables for the year and also at a new rewards and benefits strategy for Military Air Solutions.

Neil joined Military Air Solutions Project Management Development Scheme (PMDS), a tailored programme of placements within the company designed for aspiring project managers to get broad business experience. PMDS provides a series of structured “on the job” placements, typically of six to 12 months’ duration over five years. These placements provide the crucial breadth of experience and each is accompanied by a series of key learning and development objectives agreed with the placement line manager.

He said, “I have gone from being part of a very big team to working more or less directly for one person and it has been a huge difference. I really enjoyed my placement on Typhoon – I actually asked for a six month extension so that I could see the aircraft delivered – but wanted something completely different to follow it.

I’ve been very happy with PMDS so far. I came to the company after a post-graduate course at the Institute of Manufacturing at Cambridge and when I was looking around at options realised that there weren’t many big companies who offered something like this, focused completely on project management."

Better understanding

“PMDS isn’t prescriptive, it gives you visibility of the opportunities available and a chance to build your own personal brand. You realise when you start that you have a lot to learn in such a complex company with such a range of products. It’s quite stretching, but already I have a better understanding of the company and its projects.

As for the future, I’m not sure what’s in store – but PMDS offers good training and very broad experience, and so far it’s been great.”

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