Aircraft maintenance engineering

Apprenticeships

Aircraft maintenance offers an alternative, hands-on route. Apprenticeships are the traditional entry route, enabling you to earn as you learn, develop your manual dexterity and gain supervised hours for the licensed engineering qualifications with support for college study. However, in recent years the number of apprenticeship places has declined. Schemes exist with Monarch Aircraft Engineering, Virgin Atlantic, Flybe and Marshall Aerospace, but competition is high.

The RAF also offers apprenticeships in greater numbers; meanwhile, in aerospace manufacturing, apprenticeships still exist with companies including Airbus, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. Studying aircraft maintenance at college or university is another option. Many of the course providers work closely with industry, giving students the opportunity to gain relevant, supervised experience. However, note that the degree is a stepping stone, not a guaranteed fast track into licensed engineering roles. While studying, improve your hand skills not only through practical coursework, modules or industrial placements but also in leisure activities that involve skilled, hands-on work.

Alternatives

The career choices in aerospace don’t end with flying and engineering. Consider:

• Airport and airline operations: specialist degrees now exist in this area
• Regulation: engineers, lawyers, human factors experts and medical teams work to ensure crew and passenger safety through aircraft design and safety regulations
• Air traffic control: monitoring the thousands of aircraft flying in UK airspace each day requires highly numerate and confident individuals, and is well remunerated!

Getting ahead

Whichever area you choose, as well as completing academic or vocational training, being able to offer the right skills is vital for the workplace. While an aeronautical engineer, pilot or airline executive will use very different professional knowledge to carry out their duties, they will use similar skills to apply it effectively, such as communication or problem-solving. These skills are transferable because they can be developed in other contexts and enhance employability, as possessing them makes candidates more appealing to potential employers. Skills can vary from the intangible – such as teamworking, innovation or leadership – to more easily measured proficiencies that you learn both inside and outside the classroom, such as IT or languages, acquired through formal qualifications. Simply listing skills on your CV is not enough; you will need to provide evidence, based on your experiences gained up to the point of your application. This includes your studies, work experience (industrial placements, voluntary or community work and part-time jobs all develop skills), sports – good for teamwork skills – and extra-curricular activities, such as college or university societies where you have taken an active role.

How would you illustrate and articulate examples on your CV or application form, or – if the former go well – at an interview? It is worth spending time preparing your examples before you even start applying for placements or jobs. Aim to produce a set of examples that are original, interesting and make you stand out from the crowd. However, don’t forget that the application process is not just about you! Take some time also to research the company you are applying for – through press articles, annual reports, conferences or lectures you have attended – and use this research in your application to prove your motivation. get all of that right and your career could well climb to the very highest altitude!

Web watch

• RAeS Careers Library Advice on entry routes, job hunting and making applications www.raes.org.uk/careers
• Pilot training Organisations that promote training options for young pilots in the UK www.gapan.org, www.airleague.co.uk
• Apprenticeships Sites where potential apprentices can meet their potential employers www.apprentices.co.uk, www.lsc.gov.uk

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