I think he is telling fibs. I think they are making up this large development project. I think what they really want is just a “Tommy” to sit around and maintain the simple products.
Only they will know for sure but I can tell that after interviewing electronics post graduates for a job recently, this is the sort of Q and A I got:
Me: can you explain how DMA works.
Graduate: What does DMA stand for?
Me: what programming experience do you have?
Graduate: we were going to do that in our course but never really started it.
Me: are you confident to work with analog circuits?
Graduate: you mean with resistors and things?
best of all (after lowering the ceiling to slightly subterranean height) -
Me: have you heard of the 741 op amp?
Graduate: Oh yes, those are ICs aren't they.
The job was for developing digital ASIC test models and automated board test systems.
I should point out that some of the interviewees, were from outside the UK but had supposedly studied at UK universities. I know for a fact that some only attended twice, once to enroll for the course and once to pick up their degree. Sadly, many educational establishments are only interested in the fees and know that if the 'pass' level drops, they will be less appealing so they turn a blind eye to the student's performance. A university based not far from here was secretly filmed for a TV documentary recently and it followed the presenter (a 'fake' student) and lecturer negotiating the price for the answers to exam questions. After national TV coverage the campus (in London) was shut down. I wonder how many students had already gone through the process and were now in industry.
Brian.