<p>While being a pilot remains a dream career for an awful lot of youngsters, it is probably fair to say that there are far fewer young people who dream of a career in the maintenance hangar. Sure, there are still some who revel in the idea of working on aircraft, but when it comes to those who are undecided, there are many other attractive industries competing for a teenager’s attention.</p>
<p>The aviation maintenance sector, like any other business, has not only to sell itself as a career, but to demonstrate what it entails and the best path to follow for the role to be fulfilling. Moreover, according to the forecasts of both Airbus and Boeing – and reflecting the many thousands of aircraft currently in their backlogs and those of other manufacturers – there is strong demand for technical personnel.</p>
<p>While the sums required for a pilot cadet to reach the right hand seat of an airliner might not apply to maintenance students, the training required is still costly. Therefore the first step for many is an apprenticeship and thankfully the number on offer is growing all the time.</p>
<p>Just two years ago, Tallinn-based Magnetic MRO and Estonian Aviation Academy launched a cooperative two-year apprenticeship programme designed to train new aircraft mechanics. And the first fruits of that venture have now graduated. As January came to an end, the first group of ten students received their diplomas during a graduation ceremony at Estonian Aviation Academy in Tartu and will now develop their aviation careers with roles at Magnetic MRO.</p>
<p><img alt="Magnetic MRO 1st apprentice graduation" src="/getasset/85b608a9-5ba4-415f-8ee1-6a5aad99d98c/" /></p>
<p>Magnetic MRO says it launched AIMM (Apprenticeship & Internship at Magnetic MRO) as “a unique project to train and employ apprentices with specialisation in different areas”. Training is conducted under Estonia’s leading vocational study programme in aviation, which is where the Estonian Aviation Academy’s expertise comes in, as it designed the course.</p>
<p>“Two years ago, when we started the apprenticeship programme, we had no idea what to expect from this collaboration,” recalls Risto Mäeots, Magnetic MRO’s CEO. “However, we are delighted to admit that this cooperation has been successful, and we can congratulate these ten young mechanics who have taken a big leap in aviation. We are proud that we can offer this kind of apprenticeship programme in cooperation with the Estonian Aviation Academy and support talented Estonian youth in making their first steps in the industry.”</p>
<p>According to Illari Lään, head of administration at the Estonian Aviation Academy, work-based learning is becoming more and more popular, thanks to its flexible mix of studies and practice, which enables students to enter the job market more rapidly. “Estonian Aviation Academy, in collaboration with Magnetic MRO and other partners, has developed a very efficient vocational curriculum, which was also recognized by SA Innove’s quality mark,” notes Lään.</p>
<p>Since the initial students – now graduates – began their course, the facilities available have been boosted by the reopening of Magnetic MRO Training’s refurbished facility. This was initiated on 19 September 2019 and is being used mainly by Magnetic MRO and the Estonian Aviation Academy for the theoretical technical training elements of the programme.</p>
<p>“The need for expansion came from demand to organise more type training and internal training as well as to support better overall organisation of the training,” explains Haldi Vanatoa, head of training unit at Magnetic MRO Training, noting that the facility’s capacity has been increased by almost 50%. “The department has grown very quickly and very significantly over the last couple of years so the expansion was the natural step for us.</p>
<p>“We like to keep a homelike-feeling within our training centre because a lot of trainees travel to Estonia only for the training, spending most of the time at the facility. Therefore welcoming and comfortable premises is one of our key goals alongside maintaining the highest training standards and quality,” adds Vanatoa.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the partners are preparing to receive more students and the Magnetic MRO CEO has an invitation. “The next apprenticeship programme for mechanics will start this spring, so if there is anyone interested, there is still time to join the programme and start the dream career in the aviation industry,” he states.</p>
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<p>The aviation maintenance sector, like any other business, has not only to sell itself as a career, but to demonstrate what it entails and the best path to follow for the role to be fulfilling. Moreover, according to the forecasts of both Airbus and Boeing – and reflecting the many thousands of aircraft currently in their backlogs and those of other manufacturers – there is strong demand for technical personnel.</p>
<p>While the sums required for a pilot cadet to reach the right hand seat of an airliner might not apply to maintenance students, the training required is still costly. Therefore the first step for many is an apprenticeship and thankfully the number on offer is growing all the time.</p>
<p>Just two years ago, Tallinn-based Magnetic MRO and Estonian Aviation Academy launched a cooperative two-year apprenticeship programme designed to train new aircraft mechanics. And the first fruits of that venture have now graduated. As January came to an end, the first group of ten students received their diplomas during a graduation ceremony at Estonian Aviation Academy in Tartu and will now develop their aviation careers with roles at Magnetic MRO.</p>
<p><img alt="Magnetic MRO 1st apprentice graduation" src="/getasset/85b608a9-5ba4-415f-8ee1-6a5aad99d98c/" /></p>
<p>Magnetic MRO says it launched AIMM (Apprenticeship & Internship at Magnetic MRO) as “a unique project to train and employ apprentices with specialisation in different areas”. Training is conducted under Estonia’s leading vocational study programme in aviation, which is where the Estonian Aviation Academy’s expertise comes in, as it designed the course.</p>
<p>“Two years ago, when we started the apprenticeship programme, we had no idea what to expect from this collaboration,” recalls Risto Mäeots, Magnetic MRO’s CEO. “However, we are delighted to admit that this cooperation has been successful, and we can congratulate these ten young mechanics who have taken a big leap in aviation. We are proud that we can offer this kind of apprenticeship programme in cooperation with the Estonian Aviation Academy and support talented Estonian youth in making their first steps in the industry.”</p>
<p>According to Illari Lään, head of administration at the Estonian Aviation Academy, work-based learning is becoming more and more popular, thanks to its flexible mix of studies and practice, which enables students to enter the job market more rapidly. “Estonian Aviation Academy, in collaboration with Magnetic MRO and other partners, has developed a very efficient vocational curriculum, which was also recognized by SA Innove’s quality mark,” notes Lään.</p>
<p>Since the initial students – now graduates – began their course, the facilities available have been boosted by the reopening of Magnetic MRO Training’s refurbished facility. This was initiated on 19 September 2019 and is being used mainly by Magnetic MRO and the Estonian Aviation Academy for the theoretical technical training elements of the programme.</p>
<p>“The need for expansion came from demand to organise more type training and internal training as well as to support better overall organisation of the training,” explains Haldi Vanatoa, head of training unit at Magnetic MRO Training, noting that the facility’s capacity has been increased by almost 50%. “The department has grown very quickly and very significantly over the last couple of years so the expansion was the natural step for us.</p>
<p>“We like to keep a homelike-feeling within our training centre because a lot of trainees travel to Estonia only for the training, spending most of the time at the facility. Therefore welcoming and comfortable premises is one of our key goals alongside maintaining the highest training standards and quality,” adds Vanatoa.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the partners are preparing to receive more students and the Magnetic MRO CEO has an invitation. “The next apprenticeship programme for mechanics will start this spring, so if there is anyone interested, there is still time to join the programme and start the dream career in the aviation industry,” he states.</p>
<hr />
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<p><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/register/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=FJ_register"><img alt="Register with Flight Jobs" src="/getasset/a95f9bbd-4d54-40bd-91fb-e090dc9d5295/" /></a><strong> </strong></p>