A NEW apprenticeship scheme is being planned to encourage high-achieving school leavers to choose aviation maintenance as a career.
Led by Scotland’s Airline Loganair, it is supported by partners from the industry and from education, as well as by Transport Scotland.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf visited Loganair’s hangar at Glasgow Airport yesterday, marking Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
The intention of the new apprenticeship scheme is to meet the needs of the Scottish aviation industry, by creating an MA in aircraft maintenance that will satisfy the licence requirements of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This will be a first, not only for Scotland, but for the UK as a whole.
It will address a growing issue in the industry of a shortage of qualified engineers, and ensure that the industry’s historic reliance on trained engineers leaving the Armed Forces is significantly reduced.
Loganair’s head of engineering standards Craig Stewart, who formed the group which has developed the apprenticeship scheme, said: “We wish to create a sustainable MA that meets the needs of our industry, but also to improve awareness of aviation engineering as a career path for our high-achieving school leavers who are undecided as to whether they should attend university or seek an apprenticeship. On qualification, after completing the four-year course, and in their early 20s, our graduates will be earning salaries of £40,000 plus.”
Yousaf said: “Modern Apprenticeships are an important support for young people looking to access rewarding careers and high quality jobs, and the Scottish Government is committed to supporting 30,000 new MA opportunities annually.”
The plan is to have the first course starting in September, with up to 30 apprentices in the first intake. All candidates will have to have strong mathematics and physics qualifications and applications will be particularly welcomed from candidates in Loganair’s service heartland in Highland and Islands communities.
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