Regional and corporate MRO C&L Aviation Services has formally begun an aircraft maintenance apprenticeship programme.

The three-year programme is registered with the US Department of Labor and will provide paying jobs to apprentices while they receive on-the-job instruction, preparing them for their FAA certification examination and a career in aviation.

C&L said the programme leads to the FAA’s ‘Airframe and Powerplant’ (A&P) certification, which is required for all aircraft mechanics to sign off on aircraft maintenance.

Part of the interview process for applicants will be meeting C&L’s mentors and training team and demonstrating mechanical aptitude. Applicants with previous experience and/or a military background may qualify for C&L’s accelerated apprenticeship programme, which lasts one year.

“We have seen a lot of growth here in the past few years and it is a really exciting time to launch our [programme],” said C&L Aviation Group’s recruiting manager Valerie Byers. “We have a great group of employees here at C&L, and their ability to pass on their years of knowledge and experience to the next generation is an incredible advantage to those who will enter the programme.”

C&L plans to hire and start the first class of six this April with an additional six in autumn. Apprentices will work full-time at the company’s 200,000sq ft MRO facility located in Bangor, Maine.