27 newly qualified aircraft engineers will now officially embark on their career in aviation having successfully completed Aer Lingus’ Maintenance and Engineering Apprenticeship.
19 male graduates and 8 female graduates displayed consistent hard work and dedication to successfully complete the four-year programme.
Since the Maintenance and Engineering Apprenticeship first began in 2011, Aer Lingus has helped forge the careers of 140 aircraft engineers who joined the airline having graduated from the apprenticeship. Of the most recent apprenticeships from 2017 and 2018, all graduates have been hired by Aer Lingus and will join its Maintenance and Engineering team servicing the airline’s fleet of Airbus aircraft, including the next-generation Airbus A321neo and A320neo, which are Aer Lingus’ newest and most sustainable aircraft.
The four-year Aer Lingus Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Apprentice Scheme is run in conjunction with both SOLAS, the State further education and training agency, based in Shannon, and Technological University Dublin. It consists of seven phases and through each phase successful applicants will move between classroom training in both Shannon and Dublin, and on the job training at the Aer Lingus Maintenance and Engineering Hangar at Dublin Airport. Apprentices work primarily on line-maintenance and focus on the delivery of Aer Lingus’ customer experience.
Aer Lingus Chief Technical Officer, Javier Jimenez, said: “We are delighted to officially welcome all our graduates into the Aer Lingus Maintenance and Engineering team and commend them on their hard work and dedication. We are immensely proud of our rich heritage in supporting young people starting out in their careers. Our apprenticeships enable us to attract new talent and future-proof the next generation who in turn will help to shape the future of Aer Lingus.
“Safety is at heart of everything we do in Aer Lingus and our aircraft engineers play an immensely important role in delivering a smooth operation for the airline. We are particularly encouraged by the number of female graduates this year and hope to continue this trajectory attracting females to such roles within the aviation industry.”
Aer Lingus plans to launch its next Aer Lingus’ Maintenance and Engineering Apprenticeship in early spring 2023. Keep up to date via the Aer Lingus Careers page and Aer Lingus’ social channels.