Boeing, Air India Engineering launch first accelerated apprenticeship programme

These specially-developed aids are being used for the first time in India, along with a customised-for-India curriculum created by Boeing experts, to raise the skills of aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) in India. 

The "students" will be instructed by highly qualified Air India instructors trained by Boeing in the United States.  The AMEs will also get ‘hands-on’ exposure on an actual Boeing aircraft that will help them hone their maintenance skills and also increase their employability, empowering them with the tools necessary for a successful career in India’s rapidly growing aerospace ecosystem. 

Since a lack of new-gen aircraft skills and training have resulted in low employability of AMEs, of which only 2 per cent receive "type-rated" licenses. Boeing and AIESL had worked out the launch the Accelerated AME Apprenticeship Program in 2017.   The program has so far received a huge response with over 1,300 applications for the entrance examination , which was held online across 10 cities in India. 

“Boeing is proud to be a partner in this initiative in one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world,” said Marc Allen, president, Boeing International. “We are committed to help catalyse the growth of special skills needed for the Indian aerospace ecosystem, and create a capable workforce.” 

“Our partnership with Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, brings together a best-in-class curriculum and training aids to create a state-of-the-art smart class setting which will create a stronger pool of skilled AMEs,” said H.R. Jagannath, CEO, Air India Engineering Services Limited. “This collaboration between AIESL and Boeing will create many opportunities for AMEs as they enter the Indian aviation sector.”

Classes for the first batch of the program will begin in August 2018. The one-year program provides an accelerated career path for AMEs by improving employability of AME college graduates.