There is such a thing as a Degree in Aircraft Maintenance and it is geared to obtaining B1/2 whilst doing the degree. A number of Companies who used to run Apprenticeship Schemes are going down this route as an alternative to Apprenticeships.
I have visited the Kingston University Students at KLM Norwich who will have a Degree in Aircraft Maintenance when they finish and the required modules for their B1/2. They were keen, enthusiastic and bright. They do the usual classroom work and workshop practical the same as any Apprentice does.
None of the students I spoke to were in the slightest way phased by having a degree and banked JAR 66 modules and having to start at the bottom and to work up the ladder when they first join a Company. They just wanted to work on aircraft. To the people in Maintenance who have a problem with working with graduates, I suggest that you look again as they are on their way to you in numbers and you will be coming across these folks very soon. The Instructors at NWI are mainly ex-forces NCO's who have a wealth of experience and have very good instructional and people skills. The students will have lived away from home and had to fend for themselves which again cannot be a bad thing.
What they have to do after finshing University is to satisfy the requirements of hands on experience in order to obtain their JAR 66 . A number of Companies are looking at taking them on with a view to working through the required experience levels and hopefully obtaining their Licences.
This is a new perspective and in my humble opinion worth a try. It is now time to put the attitudes of the past behind us. The Company I work for employs a number of Aircraft Engineering Graduates. The dealings that I have had with them have shown that they are capable and can offer a great deal. One of them is now considering taking his JAR 66 Licences.
I would suggest that we all recognise the fact that our skill base is declining due to folks leaving the industry due to retirement and career change and they are not being replenished by the numbers being trained. From the projections I have seen this situation is only going to worsen. This initiative should be commended and supported by us all. These folks are our future Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and I for one welcome this initiative.
A number of folks on here are mssing the point and the evident discord could lead to a decline in our industry. We should be looking to enhance and promote it. The future Aircraft Maintenance Engineers of our industry are being trained by such places as Kinsgston University and they are coming onto the job marketplace now. Be supportive of these graduates. Give them the help they need and make them feel welcome. They have a great attitude which could be changed by the negativity and prejudice that exists amongst some members of our profession. Please do not allow this to happen.
Regards
Tempsford
Last edited by Tempsford; 2nd Oct 2003 at 06:09.