Participants in the graduate program at Thales Canada pitch their project to members of the organization’s executive team.Supplied
Braden Hayes joined Thales Canada straight out of university. That was three and a half years ago and he’s been up for the challenge ever since. “I don’t think I could have asked for more experiences, workwise and people-wise,” says Hayes, now senior software development engineer. “I find once I’ve achieved my goals on a project, I’m free to explore and work with others on something else.”
A global tech leader in defence, aerospace, cyber and digital with Canadian headquarters in Kanata, Ont. (just west of Ottawa), Thales offers leading capabilities in the defence, civil aviation, digital identity and security sectors — meeting the most complex needs and requirements of its customers across all operating environments.
“There is a lot of different work you can do in such a large organization,” says Alice Kadlec, director, talent and culture, North America. “You are exposed to people, cultures and technology from across the globe.”
Kadlec feels the Thales new graduate program fosters enablement and a sense of belonging right off the bat. The two-year program includes an in-person kick off that exposes employees to who and what Thales is. They learn about the organization through interaction with executive speakers and group activities.
Next, these early career employees form teams and set out to find and solve a challenge under the Protect pillar of Thales’ strategic plan. “Environment, social responsibility and governance- themed team projects in Thales’ new graduate program resonate with this generation and can have an impact,” says Kadlec. She believes they show managers how much the new generation can contribute.
The new graduate program also overlaps with the senior leadership program at Thales. Participants from both programs advise and receive feedback from each other. “It gives a voice to people early in their careers,” says Kadlec. “There is no barrier to open conversation.”
Hayes was hired at Thales as a software development engineer, and he joined the first cohort of the new graduate program. Over the next year, he worked on a group mentoring platform designed so that every participant acts as both a mentor and a mentee. His team presented their project to various executive groups, refining their pitch before ultimately presenting it to more than 100 people in Austin, Texas.
In the following two years, Hayes returned as a coach for two different teams, both of which were selected to present to the next cohort.
Hayes feels that Thales offers many opportunities and he’s been able to take advantage of a few of them. After solving a task in a unique way, he worked with Thales to submit a patent, in which he is named as the inventor. He’s formed a social committee to organize events. And he’s now working toward his master’s degree in AI with help from Thales’ tuition assistance program.
On the job, Hayes worked on hardware security modules for secure transactions. He feels his promotion to senior software development engineer is recognition for his hard work. Now, he’s been given an autonomous role on the development and release of a next generation hardware security module.
As one of the least senior members of the team, Hayes appreciates the respect shown by his colleagues. “There’s no micromanaging,” he says. “It feels good to be trusted.”
One reason he tries so hard is he knows that what he builds every day will be used by people within months. “I know what I do at Thales makes a difference.”
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