A maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) aviation firm chaired by lead singer of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, has launched its first apprenticeship programme.
Caerdav, based at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, is partnering with Coleg Y Cymoedd — which has four campuses in South Wales — for the 2021 programme.
The level three aircraft maintenance apprenticeships will cover both classroom study and hands-on work at Caerdav’s facility.
Mr Dickinson: "Caerdav has started an apprenticeship programme as we want to train our own people to our own exacting standards. We are very pleased to be working with Coleg Y Cymoedd to take people as far as they go and after three years, who knows, they could end up as fully-fledged aircraft engineers.
"It's really vital that we work with the Welsh Government and the Welsh community to bring more jobs into the area, which are skilled roles and not just contracting jobs.
"I see Caerdav as not just being a maintenance centre, but also a teaching and learning centre which can be a little jewel in the crown in the Vale of Glamorgan and indeed in the whole of the 海角视频.
"I believe in the employees that we have in Wales and I don't want to let them down. I think we can do a great thing in Caerdav by building up this fantastic relationship with the Welsh community, which we already have, but which I want to make even stronger."
Last week Caerdav launched a new venture converting commercial aircraft into dedicated cargo freighters.
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Chief executive of Caerdav, Joachim Jones, said: "Investing in the future has never been so important; we are excited to offer the next generation of aircraft technicians an entry point into our challenging and rewarding industry.
“Coleg Y Cymoedd has a proven track record in delivering the level three apprenticeship programme with other global aviation organisations, and we look forward to working closely with them to develop a world class apprenticeship initiative of our own.”
Applications for the course will begin in January 2021, with Caerdav initially looking to recruit 10 aviation engineering enthusiasts to begin the course in September.
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David Howells, head of computing and engineering at Coleg Y Cymoedd, said: “The college are excited to partner with Caerdav on this amazing opportunity to develop young talent in the aviation sector.
"It is great to see such a commitment to the next generation of aircraft technicians. We look forward to welcoming our new intake next September."