I was a lab technician before I went to Northbrook College, Shoreham Airport, Sussex to do the CAA engineers licence course. It`s a hard time as you can`t get any student grant or other help. Then I had to do several months UNPAID work experience before I did the last exams. I qualified and now I`m earning far more than lab. techs. but working on light planes is mainly routine stuff like changing tyres,etc. Also bear in mind the paperwork that is involved especially if you are made the "quality manager" in a small maintenance company, which means inventing expositions, forms,etc. which will seem totally irrelevant to aircraft.
If I haven`t put you off there are other colleges that do similar courses- see some of the other threads on this forum.