Dublin – Dublin Aerospace, the aviation maintenance company based at Dublin Airport, today announced a 20% increase in the company’s 2020 Apprenticeship Programme, with plans to hire another 29 Apprentices this month, bringing their total employee count of the company to 350.
With a combination of Aircraft Engineering Apprenticeships for Aircraft Overhaul in Dublin Aerospace’ Hangers and Mechanical Automation and Maintenance Fitter (MAMF) Apprenticeships for the Landing Gear, APU and Component Workshops, these Apprentices will commence their training in November.
Commenting on the growth, Conor McCarthy, CEO of Dublin Aerospace and a former Aer Lingus Apprentice himself said: “There’s no doubt about it, the past seven months have been extremely difficult for almost every industry, with aviation being one of the hardest hit –Dublin Aerospace has not been spared. However, our team have worked tirelessly throughout and demonstrated amazing flexibility and commitment. We remain focused on our long term competitiveness and growth - recruiting and developing the best aircraft engineering apprentices is a core part of this strategy”.
Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar was on site to make the announcement stating “There are few sectors which have suffered quite as much as aviation this year. I understand how hard this must have been for businesses and staff. But things will get better and there will come a time when we can all travel freely again. When that time comes, we will need people with the skills to ensure our aircraft are maintained. This decision by Dublin Aerospace, to boost their number of apprenticeships by 20% this year is really good news, a glimmer of hope, a vote of confidence in the future and a fantastic opportunity for anyone starting their career in aircraft engineering.”
The Dublin Aerospace Aircraft Engineer Apprenticeship Program is a four year, paid apprenticeship supported by Solas. After two years they qualify as an EASA Category A, Aircraft Mechanic and after four years the successful candidate are designated as EASA Category B Aircraft Engineer. There are two streams: Avionics and Airframe/Engine. Each licence category contains 35 weeks of theory training, with the first being accomplished in Shannon in year one of the programme and the second block taking place in year 3 in TUD. All practical training takes place onsite at the DAL hangar complex. Upon completion they graduate with a National Craft Cert, FETAC Level 6 from TUD and are fully fledged Aircraft Engineers
“Dublin Aerospace has always been a huge supporter of Apprenticeships and Traineeships. While 2020 has been unprecedented in many ways, we believe that it is vital, for both Dublin Aerospace and the Irish Aviation community to keep our focus on the longer term. The best time to train is when you can attract the best candidates – not when you need qualified technicians. It is heartening to see the resurgence of Apprenticeships and the increased Government support for this” concluded McCarthy.
The announcement follows the recent announcement of Dublin Aerospace’s $15m expansion programme with the acquisition and development of a new Landing Gear facility in Ashbourne, Co. Meath. The new facility, opening in early 2021 is supported by Enterprise Ireland will eventually employ about 150 people. The facility will be used for maintenance on aircraft landing gear and will be able to overhaul up to 350 units per year.