From clearing to a graduate career in aerospace finance

Finn Andrews, a final-year BSc (Hons) Accountancy and Finance student, spent time preparing for a Russell Group route before a clearing open day at Solent changed his plans entirely.

"Being at the open day really rewired my gears," he says. "I never really considered a non-Russell Group university. I got greeted personally, and it made me realise that at a bigger university I would be made more like a number. Here, I could feel like an individual. I sent my application as soon as I got home."

Finn chose accountancy and finance for its direct links to professional practice and was drawn to Solent specifically because of its placement year option.

"If there wasn't a placement option, I probably wouldn't have come here," he says. "It was a game-changer for me."

That placement took him to Ontic, an aerospace supplier to Boeing and Airbus, where he worked across accounts receivable and management accounting, analysing the company's capital expenditure on equipment across the business. A shadowing scheme called Walk a Mile let him spend time with colleagues in departments he wanted to learn more about, including financial planning and analysis.

"They allowed me to be proactive, and that was something really nice," he says. "It really gave me a good idea of where I wanted to go, particularly for management accounting."

Alongside the technical grounding, he credits Solent's careers team and his time as a student ambassador with building the confidence he needed to succeed in interviews. "Before, I was a bit introverted. Being an ambassador let me do lots of public speaking, which helped me in meetings at work."

Finn will now join Boeing on a rotational graduate scheme, moving through four six-month placements across different areas of finance, working towards his goal of becoming a financial analyst.

Reflecting on four years at Solent, he points to modules that gave him direct exposure to industry tools, including trading simulations on the University's Bloomberg Suite, as some of his favourites, alongside the wider university experience.

"I think the course is maybe 10% of the experience," he says. "Societies, being a student ambassador, that's such a good way of meeting people and building confidence and soft skills. I'm a completely different person to four years ago. Solent has outperformed everything. It's going to be sad leaving, but there's lots of exciting stuff to come."

BSc (Hons) Accountancy and Finance at Solent combines practice-led teaching with a placement year and professional body exemptions, preparing students for careers across accountancy, financial analysis and management accounting. Find out more here.

Places are available through Clearing 2026. Find out how to apply here.