Aer Lingus Engineering Apprenticeships 2011

Jim236

Don't think this has been posted so for anyone that doesn't know - Aer Lingus are launching a new Engineering Apprenticeship scheme in conjunction with FÁS:

http://www.aerlingus.com/aboutus/careersvacancies/apprenticeship2011/

Applicants must be at least 16 years old and have a Junior Cert. Successful canadidates will be based in Dublin and Shannon. Applications must be submitted by April 4th.

yew_tree

anyone know what they are like to work for?, pay, conditions, type and length of training etc..and can you choose your location?

also are you shown the door after the training or do they keep you on?

David086

I might apply for it but I'm kind of held back by the fact that I might be placed in Shannon . Also wondering the same as the comment above

A320

Itl be the standard 4 year apprenticeship I would imagine

kona

Give yourself a good hour for the application, and have your junior and Leaving certs to hand.
They could send me to Tripoli for all I care, Such a great oppertunity.

saeglopur

As far as I know ei are looking at these apprentices to bolster their current engineering numbers as well as bringing down the average age in engineering. With EI now doing more of their maintenance in house, there would be the opportunity at a long term career so wouldn't let worries about pay and conditions put you off if you are interested.

Also nice to see that it is not just Ryanair who can create jobs in Hangar 6

mle1324

Very interested in this.

I do wonder if like yew_tree said do they show you the door afterwards ?

If I went for something like this I'd have to sacrifice commitments and my education which I am in the middle of at the moment .

David086

mle1324 wrote: »

Very interested in this.

I do wonder if like yew_tree said do they show you the door afterwards ?

If I went for something like this I'd have to sacrifice commitments and my education which I am in the middle of at the moment .

Same here.

kona

mle1324 wrote: »

Very interested in this.

I do wonder if like yew_tree said do they show you the door afterwards ?

If I went for something like this I'd have to sacrifice commitments and my education which I am in the middle of at the moment .

You can always defer it and go back and do it at night later , They seem to be doing the Aptitude test online first.

saeglopur

Ei are not offering this training for the good of their health.

Unless you don't complete the training for whatever reason id imagine you would be offered a job.

mle1324

kona wrote: »

You can always defer it and go back and do it at night later , They seem to be doing the Aptitude test online first.

Like night courses for stuff you'd so in school/college you mean ?

Yeah I read the EI link and saw that.

mle1324

saeglopur wrote: »

Ei are not offering this training for the good of their health.

I think any person who has common sense who realize that.

kona

saeglopur wrote: »

Ei are not offering this training for the good of their health.

Unless you don't complete the training for whatever reason id imagine you would be offered a job.

Last group they let go without finishing the apprenticeship.

kona

mle1324 wrote: »

Like night courses for stuff you'd so in school/college you mean ?

Yeah I read the EI link and saw that.

Yup looks quite good IMO if you apply for that and want to go back and do the rest of your course at night.

Altho, line maintenance is shift work so that would be a spanner in the works

Stovepipe

Hi there,
This is a solid gold opportunity in the middle of a recession, to get into an industry that is expanding, at a time when apprenticeships are as scarce as hens' teeth. You'd be daft not to at least apply. The training will all be in Dublin and the greatest need for new bods is in Dublin. Apprentices will be kept on afterwards, as there is, as correctly stated, a need to reduce the age profile of the engineering staff, which is on average in the late 40s. Yes, there is shift work but shift pay is included. Another point to note is that many, many engineers go on to become pilots in EI and other airlines, as well as occupying top jobs in maintenance and other trades and positions. Don't focus on what's in it for you now, in the short-term.
All it'll cost you is an hour in front of a screen.
regards
Stovepipe

David086

Seeing as I'm only 16 and currently doing TY do you think I would have a chance? I do fit all the Junior Cert requirements.

kona

Stovepipe wrote: »

Hi there,
This is a solid gold opportunity in the middle of a recession, to get into an industry that is expanding, at a time when apprenticeships are as scarce as hens' teeth. You'd be daft not to at least apply. The training will all be in Dublin and the greatest need for new bods is in Dublin. Apprentices will be kept on afterwards, as there is, as correctly stated, a need to reduce the age profile of the engineering staff, which is on average in the late 40s. Yes, there is shift work but shift pay is included. Another point to note is that many, many engineers go on to become pilots in EI and other airlines, as well as occupying top jobs in maintenance and other trades and positions. Don't focus on what's in it for you now, in the short-term.
All it'll cost you is an hour in front of a screen.
regards
Stovepipe

Any tips for the aptitude test?

mle1324

David086 wrote: »

Seeing as I'm only 16 and currently doing TY do you think I would have a chance? I do fit all the Junior Cert requirements.

You've answered your own question :pac:

David086

Is there a wage with this apprenticeship?

Sterling Archer

Does speeding count as a criminal offence, for the purpose of this application. E g gettin penalty points

goonup

Stovepipe wrote: »

Hi there,
This is a solid gold opportunity in the middle of a recession, to get into an industry that is expanding, at a time when apprenticeships are as scarce as hens' teeth. You'd be daft not to at least apply. The training will all be in Dublin and the greatest need for new bods is in Dublin. Apprentices will be kept on afterwards, as there is, as correctly stated, a need to reduce the age profile of the engineering staff, which is on average in the late 40s. Yes, there is shift work but shift pay is included. Another point to note is that many, many engineers go on to become pilots in EI and other airlines, as well as occupying top jobs in maintenance and other trades and positions. Don't focus on what's in it for you now, in the short-term.
All it'll cost you is an hour in front of a screen.
regards
Stovepipe

Will Aer Lingus be sending their apprentices to AST in Perth again or will they go through the FAS center in Shannon

kona

Shane_ef wrote: »

Does speeding count as a criminal offence, for the purpose of this application. E g gettin penalty points

No, unless you killed somebody while doing it.

Tenger

kona wrote: »

Last group they let go without finishing the apprenticeship.

I would wager that this happened under the last CEO who was an accountant and looked at short term numbers rather then the long term future of the airline. This was when EI tried to farm out their MX contracts to the lowest bidder.

Current CEO is building up the DUB base and wants inhouse MX to keep quality and oversight high.

Stovepipe knows what he is talking about.

Stovepipe

Hi there,
Yes, there is a wage.I don't know what it is but it'll keep you alive, I guess. There is no association with AST in Perth, Scotland, all training will be done in Dublin.If you meet the requirements, then give it a shot.
Fixing aircraft isn't glorious in the least and is often tiring, boring, dirty and unrewarding but it does lead to better things in the sense that it opens doors to more lucrative jobs, both in and out of aviation. It does make you think and use your head and, in my case, I wouldn't be in an office job to save my life.
Right now, it appears to be the only game in town.
regards
Stovepipe

goonup

When I served my time with Aer Lingus, we were farmed out to AST for collage & then back to Shannon or commuter in Dublin. That was back in 1998. AST were good but the only problem was we were more or less left on our own by Aer Lingus while in Scotland.

kona

Tenger wrote: »

I would wager that this happened under the last CEO who was an accountant and looked at short term numbers rather then the long term future of the airline. This was when EI tried to farm out their MX contracts to the lowest bidder.

Current CEO is building up the DUB base and wants inhouse MX to keep quality and oversight high.

Stovepipe knows what he is talking about.

I know thats why I asked him for advice

But they did let the last bunch go, which was kinda ****ty, although you are right about the last CEO.

mle1324

Anyone have any idea how many they would take on for this ?

MagicMarker

Is it worth applying for this if in your late 20's?

David086

mle1324 wrote: »

Anyone have any idea how many they would take on for this ?

They're taking on 20 based in Shannon and Dublin.

A320

30 not so bad,I heard 20 straight from the horses mouth but even better if theres 30.I can only presume they'll pick a certain amount to go the B1 and a few to go the Conehead B2+A route.

Is the huge numbers to do with lots of retirements due or is it with a view to the need for more line staff after the old SRT contract expires if it hasnt done so?????

David086

A320 wrote: »

30 not so bad,I heard 20 straight from the horses mouth but even better if theres 30.I can only presume they'll pick a certain amount to go the B1 and a few to go the Conehead B2+A route.

Is the huge numbers to do with lots of retirements due or is it with a view to the need for more line staff after the old SRT contract expires if it hasnt done so?????

Sorry I meant to say 20 :pac::cool::o

Jim236

kona wrote: »

Last group they let go without finishing the apprenticeship.

Sure that wasn't SR Technics? Aer Lingus haven't done apprenticeships/cadetships now for years. AFAIK they were all done away with under Willie Walsh.

Darius.Tr

What if I haven't got any work experience , as it says you need to name two referess...

A320

darius,a sports team coach or a teacher will do fine

HoggyRS

This looks a great opportunity to get involved in a very interesting trade.

kona

Has anybody done the Online test yet?

Skyb

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kona

Skyb wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Would they be similar to other aptitude tests you do.

mle1324

Skyb wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I assume that the online test is after you finish the application side of things or do they send you an activation link in a email for the test ?

kona

mle1324 wrote: »

I assume that the online test is after you finish the application side of things or do they send you an activation link in a email for the test ?

You get a login and a password you dont have to do it straight after, thank god, the application goes on forever!

mle1324

kona wrote: »

You get a login and a password you dont have to do it straight after, thank god, the application goes on forever!

Thanks. I'm half way through if at the moment and leaving the other half to tomorrow.

Skyb

This post has been deleted.

bm92

I'll def be applying!!

Is the training in Dublin only...or in shannon as well???

arrrghh cant decide whether i should do this~(if i got it) or go with my cao and head into Mech Eng in Limerick IT(transferring eventually to aero in UL)

kona

bm92 wrote: »

I'll def be applying!!

Is the training in Dublin only...or in shannon as well???

arrrghh cant decide whether i should do this~(if i got it) or go with my cao and head into Mech Eng in Limerick IT(transferring eventually to aero in UL)

Dont worry about that, just apply to as many of these things as you can, ot gives you experience and if you get it, happy days you have a great choice to make.

Jim236

Skyb wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

You might have 5 days to finish the test, but they'll obviously still be taking into account how long it took you to finish it.

Darius.Tr

Jim236 wrote: »

You might have 5 days to finish the test, but they'll obviously still be taking into account how long it took you to finish it.

I think it says that after the medical tests etc... you will have to do an aptitude test while being supervised so they will know if you cheated during a first test

_feedback_

I'm always disappointed to be colour blind when things like this pop up

The Baltimore Sun

MagicMarker wrote: »

Is it worth applying for this if in your late 20's?

For sure, It might even work in your favour.
There's a lot of talk about what happens after the four years (getting laid off etc).....After four years, you'll have a minimum of a "National Craft Cert" and at most, you'll be well on your way to being fully licensed to sign off any defect on an aircraft (you cannot achieve this licence in under 5 yrs).
With the craft cert alone, you'll be snapped up by any airline around Europe.
It's a great opportunity...dont miss out!

A320

bm92 wrote: »

I'll def be applying!!

Is the training in Dublin only...or in shannon as well???

arrrghh cant decide whether i should do this~(if i got it) or go with my cao and head into Mech Eng in Limerick IT(transferring eventually to aero in UL)

If you want a career working hands on in electrical and mechanical systems go for it

aero eng you'll probably never work on aircraft systems and be confined to an office,thats assuming you ever get a job out of it considering the state of this country.
people say things will pick up,just remember theres people already qualified with no jobs who will still be looking for jobs in a few years.

if this was last year i'd probably discourage you from any aircraft maintenance work but now i realise myself how lucky i am and have found my old interest in the job again.
at the end of the day this apprenticeship probably will get you a permanent job if you work hard and theres no substitute for that in todays world no matter how many degrees you have,if its not for you after the time is served your qualification will be recognised and it can lead to many paths.

The Baltimore Sun

I opted for the apprentiship and had the chance to work hands-on with aircraft. Nine years later, my aircraft engineers licence allowed me to go back to college part-time and gain a BEng. Had i chosen the accademic route first, I think it would have been far more difficult to get hands-on work (it's pretty much all office work as A320 pointed out).
Personally, i strongly recommend the Apprentiship route:)

kona

Id have to agree with the lads above, I wish our career guidance teacher wasnt such a feckin snob and gave us balanced opinions, all I got was I HAVE to get a degree, Im almost finished my degree, Ive learned one thing, I dont want to be a "professional" Engineer. I want to get my hands dirty, no amount of salary could make me waste my life behind a computer screen.
Ive been dragging my ass to college for the past 3 years, honestly I couldnt give a ****e how to draw a heat exchanger in CAD, nor do I care what the Fourrier series is.