06 Oct 2026
A graduate's perspective: Aixia Chen
Aixia shares her experience as a Graduate Development Trainee at Clarendon.
“What excites me most about the Diploma graduate programme is the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and explore different parts of the business. It’s okay not to know everything because you’re learning every day.”
What I've been doing
I started my first rotation in sales, where I've been quoting customers, sourcing from our suppliers, and putting in purchase orders. I've also been delegating tasks that seem miscellaneous but play an important role in helping the team stay organised.
What I've learned
The industries that we work with. It's a very specialist thing we do with fasteners, and it has a big impact. It's especially interesting learning about aerospace and realising that something as small as a bolt or nut can play a role in something as big as launching a rocket. Understanding the different standard parts for aerospace and military equipment and connecting them to the different products in my head. And how all the different departments rely on each other to deliver these parts efficiently.
What I've enjoyed
Being put right into work, super hands-on experience. Every day is a little different, and I like being able to see the direct result of what I'm working on. There's something really satisfying about seeing an order I worked on get completed and knowing I played a part in making that happen.
