People And Stories: A development journey: Exyte’s graduate trainee program

A development journey: Exyte’s graduate trainee program

The image shows Francisca Osakue and Aanand Sharma standing outside, each smiling. Francisca is wearing a green shirt, and Aanand is dressed in a suit. Both have modern office buildings in the background.

Exyte is a multinational engineering and construction company that offers a graduate trainee program aimed at nurturing young talents.

Graduate trainees in project and construction management, and commercial project management, experience an 18-month development journey through Exyte’s delivery of high-tech-projects, learning about the business first-hand. Francisca Osakue and Aanand Sharma are participants of the first generation of the company’s graduate trainee program and share why Exyte is the perfect match for them.

Francisca Osakue joined the program after completing her undergraduate study in chemical engineering and obtaining a master's degree in sustainable resource management from the Technical University of Munich. She discovered the program while searching for sustainable engineering and consulting positions on LinkedIn. "I was interested in the diversity of the program since it entailed project construction, engineering & commercial roles. I immediately thought that it would be a perfect fit for my interdisciplinary background," she says, when asked what attracted her to the program. After six months with Exyte, she can endorse the program wholeheartedly: “I get to know the business in every aspect and see what roles match best with my talents.”

Travelling and learning

She has worked with Exyte teams in construction management, and project management. “I’ve also been with the document control department which is way more interesting than it sounds,” Francisca reveals. Her favorite experience in the company has been the opportunity to travel to many of the company's locations and directly support the engineering and construction of high-tech facilities. She enjoys the work culture at Exyte: "The team is very dedicated, passionate, and friendly. By working together with colleagues on-site I am learning so much and see how I can apply my theoretical knowledge from university in real life."

Francisca Osakue has set an ambitious goal for herself. "I aim to become an expert in engineering technology topics and a mentor for upcoming female engineers." Speaking about how she has grown as a person during her time with the company, she says, "I am learning to be more proactive, and I have also built meaningful relationships here."

From India to Stuttgart

Aanand Sharma, another graduate trainee, is from the state of Madhya Pradesh in India and has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Before joining Exyte, Sharma had already gained more than two years of work experience in the optomechanical, defense, and automotive industries in Germany and India.

After completing his master's degree in international business and engineering at the SRH University of Applied Sciences the North-Rhine-Westphalian town of Hamm in Germany, he joined the graduate trainee program. “I looked at different graduate trainee programs, but this one matched best with my education and previous work experience, allowing me to ideally grow my expertise. The focus of my master’s degree was to develop solution-oriented approaches to problems while balancing the requirements of the business and the engineering. Both of that is what we at Exyte are successfully practicing every day.”

Gaining valuable insights into all stages of the project trajectory

From the start of his tenure Sharma has been on several trips to learn as much as possible about the work and projects of Exyte. “I see what is behind the design, engineering, and construction of high-tech facilities. And it’s truly fascinating.” He is looking forward to the coming months which will bring him to even more project sites and departments within the company. “I am excited to go on an international assignment soon, to learn, and to support our ambitious growth plans."

Sharma has worked with various departments, including qualification and commissioning, document control, procurement and subcontracting, construction management, and project management and setup. "I feel a sense of pride being part of the inaugural graduate trainee program initiated by Exyte, especially since I was selected from nearly 1,200 applicants. The program allows me to experience the wide variety of Exyte’s operations to learn, and to discover, in what ways I can best put my skills to use."

Speaking about the recruitment process, Sharma expresses his gratitude to the HR team for their unwavering support in every possible way and the frictionless schedule for his assignments at Exyte. "The recruitment process was exemplary, with a speedy turnaround time resulting in a prompt issuance of my contract," he says.