Having had some time to reflect on the subject, I have a few points on the currency requirement for the Pilot Apprenticeship that I thought I might share and invite your comments on:
Single pilot light MEP/SEP currency counts for little against multi-crew flying of a swept wing jet with 180 plus people, all their luggage and thousands of litres of fuel on board, that’s why we have MPL as well as CPL/MEIR these days.
If you recruit someone with good currency straight onto a type rating, I can see how the currency might have some benefit. However this is recruitment for a 12 month apprenticeship so any currency that the apprentice has on day one has eroded by the time they actually get into the sim, unless Jet2 insist that they maintain a level of currency during their ground assignment time.
If an apprentice with low currency is recruited they would have 12 months to get their currency up to a reasonable level before starting type rating. Individuals might be willing to spend hundreds/ thousands on currency flying if they know that they have the type rating waiting for them in 12 months rather than getting their currency up and run the risk of still not getting recruited.
Surely it would be better to recruit those that can pass the assessment (regardless of currency) and then allocate them one day per month jump seat with an operational crew and 2hrs per month sim time with an instructor. That way after 12 months you have someone starting a type rating who has experienced company SOPs at work and how professional crews operate the aircraft and they will have 24hrs experience of how the actual aircraft handles and would pose a much lower training risk.
Just my thoughts and genuinely not ‘sour grapes’ on my part as I think that the apprenticeship is an excellent scheme.
Ultimately of course this is a Jet2 recruitment campaign, they set the requirements and do not listen to my ramblings.
Good luck to those that have been recruited.