Brno University of Technology graduate Petra Dubinova recently celebrated her one-year anniversary with Garrett Motion. She joined the company’s Engineering and Technology Graduate Program in December 2019 as an Engineering Trainee and, right from the start, her appetite for learning put her on track for a successful engineering career. Learn more about Petra’s Trainee experience in her own words.

Steering Your Career: Getting into the Driver’s Seat of Garrett’s Trainee Program

“After my graduation, I wasn’t quite sure what to do next. I knew I wanted to find a place where I can deepen my university knowledge but there was such a wide range of different jobs available on the market that I felt quite lost. That’s why, instead a regular entry level job, I started to look for rotational trainee programs that allow you to try out more than just one role. Garrett’s Engineering & Technology Graduate Program caught my eye because of the company’s interesting products and the opportunity to spend one year abroad,” explained Petra, who recently completed her first rotation at Garrett’s Kinematic Center of Excellence in Brno, Czech Republic.

Designed as a rotational program with three consecutive 12-month assignments, Garrett’s Engineering & Technology Graduate program allows students to work directly with key engineering experts and leaders as well as receiving specific trainings focusing both on technical and leadership competencies.

“A rotational program helps you find out what you enjoy the most, what are you good at, and finally it helps you define a direction for your career.”

So far, the Graduate program unfolded in a quite dynamic way for Petra, as she succinctly describes: “The program had started with a theoretical training. Afterwards I had begun to learn different kinds of kinematic analysis and data postprocessing. I helped in the lab with measurements and I was present during the testing of a turbo in a real car, which was cool.”

Asked what she thinks about the program, Petra says: “I really like that I have the possibility to switch positions after a year. Now, we are starting to discuss where I should continue next and it’s great to know that it doesn’t depend only on the company’s needs but also on my preferences. My current mentor and his manager are really trying to find the best option for me.”

Working at Garrett: A Friendly Workplace with a Strong Culture Around Learning

Petra finds her Engineering Trainee role to be a real development opportunity and loves the job’s diversity, but her favorite part about Garrett is the work environment.

“I must say it’s the people and the atmosphere I like the most. Although I am surrounded by top experts, they are always friendly, open, and ready to help when I approach them with a problem,” says the talented trainee.

Working in a learning-embedded culture has multiple benefits when it comes to your own development, so even though Petra has only one mentor, she feels that other professionals are providing her precious advice as well.

“I appreciate that my mentor really understands the purpose of this trainee position and he’s trying to teach me as much as possible – even when it is outside his field of expertise,” explains Petra. “When he feels that something could be interesting and useful for me, he doesn’t hesitate to connect me with other people, experts in different fields.”

Visit Garrett’s Careers page to see how you can join the growing global team and to discover our career opportunities.

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