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airBaltic announces the opening of its Technical Academy
The opening of airBaltic’s Technical Academy is indeed very good news for a lot of folks out there, especially for high school or technical school graduates looking into becoming aircraft technicians. It’s also great news for those who are considering enrolling in university to study technical sciences, and even for auto mechanics wanting to try working in a different field. For all of you: this is an opportunity to become an aircraft technician (B1 or B2) in less than five years, and for free, at that. airBaltic will take care of all training expenses and even pay students an aircraft mechanic’s salary – from day one for those in the airBaltic Mechanics group, and after the first year for those in the Riga Technical University (RTU) and Liepāja State Technical School (LVT) groups.
As the airline grows and it acquires more aircraft, airBaltic will need more mechanics and technicians to carry out aircraft maintenance in the coming years. The Technical Academy’s mission is to train high-level specialists (EASA Part-66 licensed aircraft technicians) while providing practical work experience and peer-mentor support during training.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to grow under our wing!
WHAT DOES A TECHNICIAN AT AIRBALTIC DO?
Technicians carry out aircraft maintenance work to ensure the uninterrupted and safe operation of commercial aircraft in compliance with all regulations. Maintenance work includes scheduled work on systems and components – which is carried out after a specified number of flight hours, flight cycles, or days in accordance with instructions issued by the aircraft manufacturer – as well as unscheduled work and repairs. The need for these repairs is detected by the technicians themselves during the various scheduled inspections or relayed to them by onboard crews during flights.
Technicians are divided into several categories, and each carries out a specific scope of work for which they have been specially trained and subsequently certified by examination. Certified technicians also certify each individual job they do with their signature. To become a certified technician, one must complete a specialised aviation education course and accumulate a specified amount of practical experience in aircraft maintenance work. When both of these are satisfactorily fulfilled, the student obtains an aircraft maintenance technician licence. On average, the process takes five years.
Ingars Vaivods, VP Line Maintenance
WHAT DOES THE NEW AIRBALTIC TECHNICAL ACADEMY OFFER?
It’s an opportunity to become an EASA Part-66 licensed technician in just a few years’ time. The academy provides not only a full training course but also practical experience, with students learning directly from experienced airBaltic employees. Prospective students can choose between three groups, or scenarios, depending on their motivation, ambition, and previous experience, if any.
airBaltic covers the full cost of the training cycle for students at its Technical Academy (for those in the airBaltic group at Liepāja State Technical School, the cost for the part of training carried out by LVT comes from the state budget), provides aircraft type training, and prepares students for authorisation. Depending on the group selected, students may begin working for airBaltic as aircraft mechanics as soon as they begin their studies (this applies to those in the Mechanics group) or upon completing their first year of study. Employment at airBaltic means career development opportunities, employee benefits, and gaining experience in an aviation company with one of Europe’s newest fleets.
Olga Čivžele, Technical Academy Training Manager
WHO CAN APPLY FOR THIS TRAINING?
airBaltic has created three different groups so that prospective students can choose the training scenario that suits them best. The requirements are the same for all three groups: completed secondary education, English language skills, and good technical skills.
The LVT airBaltic group is open to graduates of secondary schools or technical colleges who wish to complete their secondary vocational education within 1.5 years, begin working, and continue their EASA Part-66 modules at the same time. Training will take place at Liepāja State Technical School and at the airBaltic Training Centre. Graduates receive a diploma of secondary vocational education, EASA Part-66 modular certificates, and a licence (category B1 or B2).
The RTU airBaltic group is aimed at high school graduates who wish to pursue higher education and whose ambitions go beyond being a technician. Training will take place at Riga Technical University and at the airBaltic Training Centre. Graduates receive a Riga Technical University diploma of higher education, EASA Part-66 modular certificates, and a licence (category B1 or B2).
The Mechanics group is for people for whom it is important to combine study with work. To join this group, experience in technical or electrical repair work is required (for example, working as an auto mechanic). Training for this group will be provided on-site at the airBaltic Training Centre. Graduates receive EASA Part-66 modular certificates and a licence (category B1 or B2). The language of instruction is English.
Olga Čivžele, Technical Academy Training Manager
WHO WILL YOUR INSTRUCTORS BE?
The Technical Academy’s training programmes are taught by professionals in their field: Riga Technical University lecturers, Liepāja State Technical School educators, and airBaltic Training Centre instructors.
The teaching experience of the instructors helps to establish an inclusive and motivating learning process, providing students with the necessary support and fostering a positive and inspiring learning environment.
EASA Part-66 module training is delivered by dedicated aviation professionals who are involved in the day-to-day duties of an aircraft technician and are qualified to pass on to students knowledge about the latest and most advanced developments in the aviation industry. Experienced airBaltic technicians also play an important role in the training of new specialists, because they can best prepare students to work with a specific aircraft type.
During training, students will have the opportunity to learn about the Airbus A220-300, the aircraft type used by airBaltic for all its flights.
Kristaps Lapsa, airBaltic Training Centre General Manager
WHERE WILL YOUR WORKPLACE BE?
Work is carried out in a specialised hangar and on the apron. The hangar is used for more complex routine and scheduled work and repairs as well as for base maintenance. But work also takes place on the apron. Yes, the weather is changeable – sometimes bitterly cold in winter or very hot in summer.
The work with the airplanes on the apron takes place at Riga Airport and also at airBaltic outstations, which means that a technician’s work also involves travel.
Technicians work in shifts with a shift pattern of four days on / four days off. A shift lasts between nine and twelve hours. Because the airplanes carry passengers during the day, technicians mostly work nights, but there are sometimes day shifts as well.
C-check base maintenance technicians have a similar shift schedule (five days on / five days off), but their work is limited to day shifts and takes place only in the hangar.
Shift work provides a relatively large amount of free time for a wide range of other activities on one’s days off, including travel. And of course, employees have access to all the benefits provided by airBaltic.
Ernests Lejnieks, VP Production and Resource Planning
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PROGRAMMES VIA CAREERS.AIRBALTIC.COM/TECHNICAL-ACADEMY
In his third year of studying engineering at Riga Technical University, Andrejs Vasiļjevs attended a meeting with airBaltic representatives who had come to introduce students to job opportunities at the company. ‘I had had very little experience with airplanes before then,’ he says. ‘I had only flown once as a passenger, to say nothing of actually working with airplanes. So to see a plane so close up was very impressive.’ But he applied anyway and was accepted.
Andrejs’ engineering background has been an advantage. ‘It helps me see the bigger picture, especially when doing inspections or making decisions,’ he says. ‘It also let me become a technician sooner, by passing specialised exams. However, having a university degree isn’t compulsory; if you don’t have the education, then the training process just takes a little longer.’
The fellow employees at airBaltic are supportive, helping new hires learn the work, settle in, and integrate at the company as quickly as possible. Andrejs says that applying to the Technical Academy and joining the airBaltic technical team is a fantastic opportunity, especially for people who are ready for a change in their lives and wish to grow professionally.
In a way, a technician’s job is made easier by the specific instructions and procedures set out by the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, because all of the work has to be done according to them. ‘There’s no experimentation in this job,’ Andrejs says. ‘There’s also a multi-step inspection process, with all of the mechanics’ work checked by a certified technician. And there are always opportunities to grow and climb in your career. For example, a young mechanic may eventually become the person tasked with hiring new technicians.’