National Engineering Month: Meet New Graduate Ian
Many of Â鶹ֱ²¥ Martin Canada¡¯s engineers start out as students in co-op placements or internships. For National Engineering Month, we spoke with some of our former co-op students who are now full-time team members about what it¡¯s like to enter the workforce as a new graduate.
Ian, System Integration/Test Engineer Associate, joined the River-class destroyer program in 2024 after completing all four co-op placements with the same team.?
A career driven by national pride:
Ian on a visit at BAE Systems, Â鶹ֱ²¥ Martin Canada¡¯s partner on the River-class Destroyer program
Ian works on the Technical Data Package Team for the River-class destroyers, taking inputs from the many subcontractors and program partners to ensure effective integration on the ship. He¡¯s always been drawn to the defence industry, so landing his first co-op placement at Â鶹ֱ²¥ Martin Canada was a dream come true.
¡°I think it's very important for Canada to be able to defend itself, and that¡¯s what these ships are being built for. It¡¯s also one of the coolest things you can work on because it's all cutting edge. We're working on the newest, best-in-class technologies that aren¡¯t found anywhere else.¡±
The River-class destroyers are designed to conduct air, surface, undersea and information warfare missions, and feature state-of-the-art technologies to keep Canada¡¯s sailors prepared for decades to come.
¡°What drives me, even when I¡¯m tired or working on something that feels tedious, is the knowledge that I¡¯m doing this for our country and that¡¯s why it matters.
Ian especially values the opportunities he has had to step outside his usual scope and try new things.?
On many occasions, he¡¯s put his hand up to take on new or interesting work and says he¡¯s always been met with enthusiasm from his team.
While he¡¯s absorbed a wealth of new skills and information in his role, he says he still draws on what he learned in school every day: ¡°I use a lot of the software-based skills daily, like 3D-modelling, as well as excel skills.
But there are also many soft skills from the team projects, labs and groupwork throughout his engineering degree that have been invaluable, like collaboration and problem-solving. Ian sees every challenge he faces and everyone he works with as part of an interconnected ecosystem:
¡°Everything is connected. Whether it's by cable or bolt, everything on the ships needs to work well together, just like the teams working on them. It¡¯s so important to be able to work effectively with people to assess a problem and come up with a way to fix it.¡±
What continues to inspire Ian? The same vision he¡¯s had for himself since his very first co-op term.
¡°I¡¯ve always thought: one day, I¡¯m going to stand on the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge, look out onto the Halifax Harbour and watch them launch the ship that I¡¯ve spent my career working on.¡±