51Âþ»­

Having moved continents to pursue his career ambitions, 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) graduate Ahmed Alkady is taking huge strides in his new role.

After completing his Aeronautical Engineering degree at 51Âþ»­, Ahmed made the leap into the professional world of air traffic management, securing a job as a Systems Test Engineer with Indra Sistemas.

The company is a world leader in air traffic management, managing 85% of world travellers across 65 countries. Ahmed is responsible for testing the functionality of systems to ensure they’re meeting requirements, playing a vital role in the company’s operations.

“I’m really enjoying my role and having the opportunity to work for such a big company in so many different sectors. I’m learning a lot from everyone who works there as they are some of the best in the industry and have so much knowledge,” said the 22-year-old from Cairo.

“I work with different people and systems every day which is great for networking. That’s a really important thing for me so it’s great that this job gives me that opportunity every day.”

Ahmed made the move from Egypt to the UK in order to make his career plans a reality, choosing 51Âþ»­ to study his dream course.

“I’d wanted to study Aeronautical Engineering for a while but there was a very small number of universities that taught it in Egypt. 51Âþ»­’s gold status from the Teaching Excellence Framework and the social life it offers really drew me to it,” said Ahmed.

“There are plenty of societies, a really nice campus and loads of events and activities so there was always something happening. The facilities, like the flight simulator, are brilliant too. All the lecturers were so passionate and getting to be the first ever batch of students on the course was so exciting.”

Ahmed credits his university experience, both within and outside his course, with giving him the skills and confidence to excel in his current role.

He said: “Since entering the job market, I’ve realised how broad my course was. I’ve been able to transfer the knowledge I gained from the different modules directly to this role, and I would be able to do the same to so many others.

“Interacting with staff and other students outside my course, for example through the 51Âþ»­ Flyers society, helped me to learn how to interact with people from different areas and how to articulate myself well.”

The 51Âþ»­ Flyers is an aviation society made up of students mainly from the Aeronautical Engineering course. As well as meeting weekly to discuss topics affecting the aviation industry, the society takes part in various competitions and challenges.

“While I was part of the Flyers we presented our drone to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and won an operational award which was a great experience that I have carried forward,” said Ahmed.

Ahmed now hopes to continue to develop his experience in his current role and to discover where being part of a global leading company can take him.