Staff at Atlantic Aviation Group (AAG) in Shannon are celebrating news that apprentice, Florian Byrnes from Limerick, has won the IrelandSkills National Competition in Aircraft Maintenance.
The IrelandSkills National Competition has been running since 1956 and aims to encourage excellence in industrial and service skills, assessing a broad range of skill disciplines, including Aircraft Maintenance.
AAG was represented in the Aircraft Maintenance category this year by both Florian Byrne and Chris Kissane, who was a winner last year, with both completing final stage tests at DIT last week.
Shannon based Atlantic Aviation Group has a strong track record at the championships, having produced the last two national winners and a world skills champion just last year. The company’s apprenticeship program is highly sought after, attracting hundreds of applications each year.
The 4-year paid program includes practical on-the-job training at the company hanger as well as off-site theory based learning in Shannon and at Dublin Institute of Technology.
Speaking about the win, company owner Patrick Jordan said “This is a great win for Florian and we are all very proud of his achievement. The calibre of apprentices in AAG is second to none and we strive to create an environment where our apprentices can really develop and hone their skills. I would like to thank all the trainers and staff at AAG, who provide such tremendous training, support and encouragement to all our apprentices.”
Atlantic Aviation Group’s Training Manager, Paul McInerney added “The IrelandSkills Competition is a great forum to showcase the talent and skills of apprentices around the country. Atlantic Aviation has a proud tradition of training and our 4 year apprenticeship programme trains apprentices to the very highest calibre. These awards help to recognise their hard work, skill and commitment and the winners fly the flag for all of our dedicated apprentices at AAG.”
Both Florian, who won the title this year and Chris, who was last year’s winner, will now be in the running to compete at the 44th WorldSkills Competition which will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October 2017. The selection process will commence in early 2017 so we wish both Florian and Chris the very best of luck.
Employing over 220 staff at its headquarters in Shannon, Atlantic Aviation Group is a leading aviation company, providing maintenance, technical, design and training services to airlines, leasing companies and VIP operators from around the world