Meet the Apprentice – Sean Jefferies, Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Ltd

It's Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022! Sean Jefferies is currently an apprentice with Prestwick Aircraft Maintenance Ltd. Sean agreed to speak to us for Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 to talk through what exactly that involves. Sean is also a recipient of the John Mather Trust Awards.

The John Mather Trust rewards our graduates who have: learned a trade and gone into employment, an apprenticeship or set up their own business within the past year.

Those fortunate enough to be eligible for a John Mather award received a set of tools of the trade to help them in their careers.

Here's what Sean had to say to us for Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022:

“I had already finished the NC and HNC in Aeronautical Engineering at Ayrshire College. I heard about the opportunity through a Skills Development Scotland post on Facebook, so once I sent in my CV I was invited in for an aptitude test and interview.

“It’s a four-year apprenticeship that involves doing CAA modules as well as the Performing Engineering Operations course in Aeronautical Engineering. There are quite a lot of modules, 11 in total, but because they’re spread over the four years it’s not so bad.

“I felt the NC course I did with Ayrshire College set me up nicely for the HNC. In that HNC course we did a lot of work on aerodynamics, which has really helped with the aerodynamics module exam I just sat. So it was perfect preparation.

“Right now I’m in college three days a week and in the hanger two days a week. There I’m doing different things depending on the day, things like removing a wing flap, servicing the waste tank and moving flight controls are just a few examples.

“An apprenticeship is great for building experience in the industry. You get experience in the workplace and you're learning as you go along with it. It's very hands-on, which I enjoy.”