Virgin Australia has opened applications for its aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) apprenticeship program.
The airline is seeking four apprentices for the four-year program, with two to be based in Brisbane and two in Melbourne. The course was due to begin in the first half of 2020.
Those who successfully complete apprenticeship would gain a Certificate IV in Aeroskills, as well as qualifications to work at a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Part 145 approved maintenance organisation.
Coursework included being rotated through various departments across the airline group to gain experience in areas such as hangar maintenance, line maintenance, stores, planning and engineering.
Apprentices would also be assigned a mentor from the engineering team, according to the application placed on the Virgin Australia website.
“At the end of the program, the recruits have an opportunity to commence a career with Virgin Australia with a nationally recognised qualification in the aerospace industry as an aircraft maintenance engineer,” Virgin Australia said.
Applications close on September 29 2019. More details on the program, which is run every two years, can be found on the Virgin Australia website.
VIDEO: Virgin Australia engineers talk about their experiences in a video from the airline’s YouTube channel.
INDUSTRY ESTIMATES SHOW STRONG DEMAND
The 2018-2037 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook showed a need for 622,000 commercial maintenance technicians over the next two decades.
The figure was down from its estimate of 648,000 in the prior year’s survey, which Boeing said was “primarily due to longer maintenance intervals for new aircraft”.
“As new generation airplanes become more prominent in the global fleet, advances in airplane technology will drive an increased need for technicians skilled in avionics, composites, and digital troubleshooting,” Boeing said.
“Mobile and distance learning solutions are becoming increasingly popular as a flexible alternative to traditional classroom instruction, and new technologies such as augmented reality are being tested as a way to improve engagement and knowledge retention.
“As airlines continually invest to improve the quality and efficiency of their operations, new training curriculums and methodologies will need to be adopted to keep pace with innovation.”
Asia Pacific represented the largest source of demand, with the regional expected to recruit 34.1 per cent of all technicians in the 20 years to 2037.
