Fresh from a six-month French internship, recent Flinders graduate Lachlan McDonald discovered his time at Safran Electronics and Defense not only equipped him with on-the-job knowledge and unique cultural insights, but is opening doors for job interviews.

Mr McDonald returned from Paris in September 2019, in time to graduate from his Flinders University Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics, Honours).

His paid placement with the defence major was organised by Easy Skill, which is working with Flinders to send engineering students to Europe, and infused him with an appreciation of French culture, defence engineering and a basic grounding in French language skills.

“I was putting my university learnings into practice much of the time, but I also learnt so much more, particularly in the navigation area and other specifics of what Safran does,” Mr McDonald says.

The genuine welcome and friendliness of his French colleagues was key to his fantastic experience, and the English fluency of many helped him quickly make friends.

Mr McDonald did not speak any French but says this was not an issue as Safran, being a large international company, requires employees to speak a certain level of English.

“I was lucky in my team that there was 10-15 people under the age of 28, and I got along with everyone really well,” he enthuses.

“Shaking hands with every colleague in the morning was something I wasn’t familiar with but quickly valued, that welcome in the morning really helped invite further conversation throughout the day and promoted excellent team communication. It was also such a comforting custom; you get used to it and do appreciate it every day.”

Learning about French culture was a highlight, including the attention given to mealtimes and a lengthy lunch break where colleagues bonded over personal and work banter and happily worked back if they overstepped the allocated hour.

He was also delighted at the opportunity to travel with his new work friends, including visiting Villers-Bretonneux – where the main memorial to Australian military personnel killed on the Western Front in World War I is located and where his grandfather was buried.

“I also went to Belgium with a couple of friends from work and did a few other road trips, Normandy beach was great.”

Further opportunities are available to Flinders students for paid placements with Easy Skill’s European defence industry partners. No French language skills are required, however the University offers mentoring sessions that introduce French culture and basic information on living and travelling, to support students in the lead-up to their trips. The University also offers French language classes from beginner’s level.

The initiative is part of Easy Skill’s support for European subcontractors increasing the Australian local content proportion in delivering major defence contracts.

The placements are helping to train the next generation of local engineers to ensure sovereignty for Australia’s defence industry with the capability, readiness and resilience to help meet our nation’s needs.

Safran is a high-tech company with expertise in optronics, avionics, electronics and critical software for both civil and military markets and is a leader in inertial navigation systems used in air, land and naval applications.

Students interested in learning more about paid placements in the Defence sector in France are welcome to contact Donatien Bruggeman, the Easy Skill Area Director in South Australia, at donatien.bruggeman@easy-skill.com.