While there's a downside for LAEs and pilots right now, the demand for good graduate engineers continues. Demand exceeds supply by a wide margin and we just can't get our hands on enough of the right people. Follow Ghengis's excellent advice on self training by all means but have you tried sending your C.V. off to a few airlines? Bypass H.R. and send letters direct to Engineering. You're a graduate, so you won't have much trouble winkling out the names and addresses of the heads of Tech Services if you're as keen as you say. ;-)
Good Luck!
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Through difficulties to the cinema