Miltech companies are currently recruiting for a wide range of positions. However, R&D specialists remain in the shortest supply, particularly professionals specialising in hardware and software development.
Yurii Faraponov, Chief Operating Officer of Ukrainian technology company BlueBird Tech, discussed this during a webinar for SET University students.
According to Faraponov, relevant engineering experience in the defence technology sector or a related field is a significant advantage when applying for a job at a miltech company. Candidates who approach employers with their own product developments are particularly sought after.
“We do not hire every student immediately after graduation. Everything depends on the individual candidate. However, having your own project or a working prototype of a product you have previously developed will definitely be an advantage. It could even be a graduation project you defended at university. For young candidates, particularly students, this demonstrates an emerging engineering mindset and improves their chances of joining our company or entering the miltech industry in general,” said Yurii Faraponov.
The Chief Operating Officer of BlueBird Tech also emphasised that despite the company’s many strategic priorities, its experienced engineers dedicate time to training young specialists who have recently joined the team:
“Training three or four students is an investment in the future and a long-term commitment. We understand that. However, creating a complete training system is difficult because our experienced engineers must simultaneously perform their primary tasks here and now,” explained Yurii Faraponov.
During the online meeting, Yurii Faraponov also discussed which other specialists miltech companies are looking for, what skills are worth developing to enter the industry, and what challenges new employees may face during their first months of work.
The webinar was held as part of a strategic partnership established in the summer of 2026. Under this partnership, practising BlueBird Tech engineers will work directly with SET University students through guest lectures, reviews of real-world cases, joint webinars, and internships.
