The importance of apprenticeships – thoughts from a former apprentice
As we round up National Apprenticeship Week, the final word goes to Matt Caswell, CEO at our engineering division in Lasham in Hampshire, which boasts more than 200 employees, specialises in the maintenance and repair of narrow-bodied Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as well as underpinning 2Excel’s own fleet.
This year Matt will celebrate his 25th year in the industry and knows better than most the importance of apprenticeships, having begun his own career as an apprentice aircraft engineer.
Why did you choose to pursue the apprenticeship route into aircraft engineering?
My dad worked in aviation, my uncle was an aircraft engineer, and my grandfather was a flight engineer, so it was always something that I wanted to do since I was of school age.
I started out at college and did a National Diploma in Aircraft Engineering and thought the best way into aircraft maintenance was as an apprentice, so I applied to British Airways City Flyer, British Midland and Virgin, and was lucky enough to be offered a place on a four-year apprenticeship by British Midland in 2000.
And once you completed that apprenticeship, how did your career progress?
After I got my licence in 2005, I spent three years as a Licensed Technician working in the hangars and then became Deputy Hangar Foreman. After that, I moved onto line maintenance as a Senior Line Maintenance Supervisor.
When British Midland was acquired by British Airways, I went over to the BA hangars as a Shift Manager and have stayed around the hangar environment ever since.
My next move was to Air Tanker, initially as Shift Manager, becoming Base Maintenance Manager, before moving to 2Excel in 2020 as Head of Maintenance, becoming CEO in 2021.
What would be your advice to anyone considering a career in aircraft engineering, and possibly following in your footsteps today?
An apprenticeship is the foundation and the building blocks of your career, and anyone will tell you, whether they’ve been in the industry for 20 years or for 40 years, every day teaches you something different and unexpected.
Apply for your next role even if you may not be the right candidate at the time. You can never have too many interviews because each time you will gain valuable experience. Even if you’ve been turned down, use it as a learning point.
Never be put off and don’t let knock-backs get you down. There’s a reason why and always something to take away from a situation.
Don’t be afraid to put your name forward for bigger and better things and never assume there is already someone in line for that position. I’ve seen it happen, where the outcome isn’t what everyone thought it would be.
Feedback from other people is valuable as you continually progress throughout your career and remember, no one knows everything. We are always learning.
