Aircraft Maintenance Technician Apprentice Review

The day starts off with a team brief to discuss what work is to be done and by whom. Every day has a different set of jobs depending what stage the aircraft is at in it's maintenance schedule. Some days this could be removing engines, fitting blades or functional tests. Alongside the practical element of the job, I also do revision for my modular exams, write up task reports and knowledge evidence questions for my NVQ, populate my logbooks to keep track of the work I've done, and carry out any internal work for the company (i.e. online training/e-learning, meetings, STEM events or continuous improvement projects).

I started this apprenticeship with zero technical knowledge or understanding of aircraft and how they work, and in terms of my hand-skills, it was very limited. Within the first few months I had acquired such an in-depth understanding of the legislation used in the industry and some of the systems on board. Now that I am just about half-way through my apprenticeship, I can safely say my hand-skills and knowledge have vastly improved, and are more in-line with that of a fully qualified technician.

I don't think I could fault it! There is always something for us to get involved in, be it on the shop floor, or going to external events to promote STEM and the programme. This apprenticeship allows me to work alongside some of the best in the industry, and to be able to learn from them is a true privilege. As apprentices, we get exposure to the wider international company and meet people in roles as technicians, all the way up to company executives.

The programme is well structured. Before joining Boeing, we knew exactly what each year of the programme entails. The first year is based in Cardiff for us to complete out college training, then for the remaining two years we have 4 x 6 month rotations around the country to gain exposure to a wide variety of aircraft, both within military and commercial environments. Every step of the way we have out handbook to refer to, other cohorts, out mentors and managers who are all there to support us, as well as weekly meetings with all cohorts to ensure we build a strong network.

I don't think there is much more that our managers could do! We have our main manager, who's the lead for the entire programme, as well as the site managers, supervisors, team leads, technicians and ex-apprentices who all support us along this journey. If we ever need help, someone is always there to lend a hand and offer advice.

We have a fully comprehensive system for our NVQ qualifications which we complete during our on-the-job training as well as the training we do whilst in college in year one. If we are ever stuck with work or are unsure how to meet the criteria, our assessors help us to create our own solutions allowing us to continue to problem solve, even when we don't believe in ourselves.

The qualifications that we are working towards reflects the work we do on a daily basis. Every theoretical question we are asked in our coursework can be linked back to work we've done on aircraft. The task reports we write afterwards, allows us to reflect on what we've done and consolidate the theory behind the task. Every modular exam we study towards helps us to gain an in-depth understanding of on-board systems which directly relates to the work we carry out on OJT.

Most, if not all, apprentices are STEM ambassadors which allows us to attend various events (e.g. airshows, careers fairs, parliamentary events, and as speakers at events) to help inspire the next generation to take up a career in STEM. In addition to this we have the annual awards which is a great chance for all apprentices to get together outside of a work setting and further build the strong inter-cohort network.

Yes

Boeing are providing us with a plethora of opportunities to grow our careers. I chose them because they want to continue to help us grow our careers even after we graduate from the programme. The qualifications, experience and support they provide is unmatched, and it doesn't end after graduation.

The best advice I could give is to be yourself. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much experience you have in the industry, they want to see your passion for the role and see who you really are. Be confident in your abilities and allow them to shine through throughout the recruitment process.