For the first time in three years, Virgin Atlantic has started a new search for the next generation of engineering and maintenance talent. The UK airline is offering ten spaces within its prestigious apprenticeship programme and a further four roles within its graduate scheme.
Successful apprenticeship candidates will complete a wide-reaching programme across 24 months beginning in early October 2022. The first phase of the two-year plan incorporates academic and hand skills training to City & Guilds Level III.
The fresh recruits will then undertake a development period which includes a stint at Resource Group’s training facility in Gloucestershire. The final 14 months of the apprenticeship are spent gaining hands-on experience, working with Virgin Atlantic engineers across its Heathrow line and hangar maintenance facilities. Those that reach this stage will receive an engineering technician apprenticeship certificate and the opportunity to apply for a permanent role.
According to Virgin Atlantic, it is looking for “a diverse range of applicants and candidates who have good manual dexterity, a strong sense of responsibility and the ability to work quickly and accurately”. Other key attributes highlighted by the carrier include being a team player, good written and spoken English and basic technical knowledge.
The second scheme on offer is for recent graduates in an engineering-based subject with a passion for aviation. This 24-month programme promises recruits will be “fully immersed in the airline from the get-go”. According to the company, it’s been developed to offer a wide-ranging understanding of the technical world of Virgin Atlantic, with the lucky four recruits working across various departments including propulsion, airframe systems, avionics, cabin and structures. Hands-on experience from the airline’s maintenance teams is also part of the course.
Neil Ambidge, vice president engineering and maintenance at Virgin Atlantic, who himself started my career as a graduate at the airline said: “I’m not only a huge advocate of developing our next generation of engineers, I’m also a testament that the opportunities these programmes enable are limitless. Whether you work in an engineering or maintenance role, the combined team ensure on a daily basis that our planes are fit to fly our customers safely to our incredible destinations, around the world.
“We’re committed to the development of our world class engineering team and I’m delighted to be offering these positions to a new cohort of candidates, as we invest in the talent of the future. Aircraft engineering and maintenance offers a fascinating career path and our apprentice and graduate programmes provide a brilliant opportunity to work across one of the industry’s youngest, greenest fleets out there.”
Applications close on May 15, 2022, with those interested able to apply here.
