Fleet Management Support Engineer Review

Fleet Management. Working within a small team managing maintenance for a large fleet of aircraft across the globe. Producing plans and reports and liaising with multiple customers from various air forces.

During the academy year I learnt to use tools and improved my hand skills while working on aircraft. During the year on base I developed my soft skills such as communication, as I had to work with different people worldwide. As well as completing my NVQ I have been given the opportunity to attend internal courses covering Human Factors and Aviation Regulations in my 2nd year on base.

Overall I did enjoy the NVQ, however there was a distinct difference in each year of the apprenticeship. The first year within the academy was very structured at the beginning but towards the end we spent a lot of time doing not a lot. The second year was a very unorganised start but once problems were solved it improved. Today I really enjoy my job and the varied work I get to do.

My current line manager is very supportive and helped me get the help I required. I am trusted to work on large projects and to produce reports to external customers. There was a period during the transition from academy to base where I felt abandoned due to the absence of NVQ training staff.

As mentioned above the start of the first year was very organised. We were given the schedule for the year which by and large was followed. At the academy there was a support network in place for your studies and welfare. As the first year ended there was a lot of confusion with what the NVQ process was on base as we received no training while at the academy. I then had to wait 3 months before I had an NVQ point of contact when on base. This did improve towards the end of my NVQ.

The NVQ portion of the programme suffered due to a lack of assessors on base. After the 3rd month on base this improved to one face to face contact day a month but they were available over phone and email. I did receive very good support from them during this time. When I had finished the actual NVQ work this support dropped off rapidly even though I had yet to finish my time as an apprentice.

My current team and line manager are very supportive. I have been helped through issues with my health and I got help easily when required. I was given time at work to complete my NVQ and attend meetings and training I needed.

The first year wages were good considering the accommodation was free, food costs were slightly higher than normal due to the lack of proper cooking facilities. The second year required me to relocate to the other end of the country and to begin with the salary was only just making ends meet. As I progressed the increments in salary have eased these costs and now I earn enough to had a good standard of living.

The location of the academy limited the things to do outside of work, especially if you didn't drive. While on base I have been involved in conferences and STEM activities in the area. I have also visited other bases on company events.

Yes

Although I had some issues during my time these were eventually sorted. The opportunities available to people joining the company are huge and the support there is great. The wages and benefits provided are excellent. The opportunity to travel and work abroad around the world are great.

The process has changed since I applied however research the company. What we operate and where. Where you want to work and on what platform. I got the role not because of my engineering experience but by talking about my experience with teams and planning skills. It helps if you are keen to work abroad and are flexible on locations.