Aircraft Maintenance Technician Apprentice Review

I am an aircraft mechanic currently based at London Gatwick. My day to day tasks include inspecting the aircraft we work on, replacing unserviceable components following the appropriate manuals/drawings, filling out the correct paper work after each task is completed, working as past of a team to complete the jobs we have that day etc.

During my time in this apprenticeship I have learnt how to manage my own money and become independent, as I have been living away from home for the past 2 and half years. I have also developed my hand skills and knowledge, and I am now confident on what I do at work on a day to day basis.

Now that I am a month way from completing my apprenticeship, I can say that I have really enjoyed this apprenticeship from meeting my cohort colleagues that I now consider close friends to the experiences at each work placements that I have been to. As well as all the STEM events that I had the opportunity to attend, showcasing the opportunities at Boeing.

In my opinion the programme is well structured. During the first year we are all based at Cardiff studying towards CAA A licence modules and Level 2 and 3 qualifications. As well as developing our hand skills and understanding of aircraft manuals. Second and Third year we all move around different RAF bases on 6 months rotations, giving us the experience to work on different aircraft types (C-17, Apache, CH-47 Chinook, P-8). We then can decide where we want to work full time.

Our manager is always there if we need anything and will support us if we have any problems or concerns about the programme. As well as any problems outside the apprenticeship.

In my experience my training provider has always been there if I had any problems when submitting work or if I couldn't meet a deadline for whatever reason, they have always giving me support so that I could submit the work on time. Additionally, we all have a quick meeting with our training provider every 3months to review how we doing at our work placements and in terms of assessments for our level 3 diploma qualification. In these meetings we can also ask for support if we need it.

Our qualification through our training provider required us to complete different tasks on different aircraft systems. This allows me to have experience on these aircraft systems (landing gear, hydraulic systems, engines etc) which helps me perform better in my role once I qualify, as I would have done all those jobs before.

There are STEM events I can attend to, which is also an opportunity to network with different people in the industry. I have also attended a team building activity in which different people from different programmes (graduates, interns, apprentices etc) within Boeing, joined together to get to know each other. Again it was an opportunity for professional networking.

Yes

I would recommend this apprenticeship to anyone that has an interest in working in the aviation industry and engineering, for the experiences that Boeing will put you through. As well as pushing you to step out of your comfort zone which will make you develop new skills.

My advice to anyone applying for this company would be to always be willing to learn and take on new challenges and opportunities that come your way, and always have a positive approach to every task they give you as this will get noticed.