Aircraft maintenance apprentice Review

My role at British airways is aircraft maintenance apprentice. It is a three year course that involves 10 months of training for an a licence, and two years of on the job work experience, including a level 3 NVQ for the second year. I currently work a 4 on 4 off shift pattern gaining work experience on live aircraft.

During my time at British airways, I have developed both my technical and engineering skills as well as my communication skills. I used to be a fairly quiet and shy person before I started and I have since come out of my shell. My engineering knowledge has vastly improved thanks to British airways.

There have been tough times in my apprenticeship and there have been good times. Some of the tougher times were during the classroom learning period where we undertook a series of module exams and essays, with some of them being very difficult it was a very stressful time. However now we are working on live aircraft using the skills we have learnt I am loving my job and have definitely picked the career I should have done.

The scheme itself is very well structured as we complete all our modules before we start work on aircraft meaning it is a very efficient way of doing things. And as the training provider is a part 147 organisation it means the amount of time required for our licence is reduced from 3 years to 1 year of experience on live aircraft.

The support structure is very good, everyone is very helpful with any issues and if they cannot help you then they will guide you to somebody who can. Also, when struggling with any subjects or any work there is a support system in place to help you through, being from other engineers or our mentors.

The training provider did a very good job of delivering our training, but it was very dependent on which instructor was teaching you as some were more supportive than others. There was always support if you had any questions however, but some were better at making the information make sense than others.

The qualification is almost a necessity for the job role as it gives the base level of knowledge needed to complete any engineering task that may be given out or is required. It included things like hand skills which I use every day on the job that I developed with the training provider, as well as knowledge of how an aircraft and it’s systems work.

There are many possible extra curricular events that can be done. A lot of charity work and fundraising is carried out and supported by the company. As well as things like careers fairs, of which I have assisted in multiple, networking and planning events as something that is not part of our role.

Yes

British airways is an incredible company to work for. It has so many different departments and roles that you could literally find a job to suit anyone. They treat you with respect and are fair paid competitive rates to others in the industry. The perks are also very good including discounted flights and other work affiliate schemes.

Be honest about yourself and your grades. Be humble in interviews and not obnoxious. If it is something that you really want to do then you should take your chance. And with some of the skilled jobs it is best to show your interest, maybe by gaining some qualifications in the same line of work or even attempting some licence modules to show your dedication.