Australia’s first ever cadetship of its kind takes off in Cairns
A cadetship aimed at taking new aircraft engineers will begin today, marking Australia’s first of its kind. Meet the cadets here
Cairns
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A teenager‘s passion for helping his grandfather fix engines on the farm has taken the next step, one of 26 to tackle a first-of-its-kind cadetship on offer at the Cairns Airport.
A national first, the cadetship program is aimed at taking on new aircraft engineers and began on Monday.
Licenced aircraft maintenance engineers are a specialist career facing skill shortages after the pandemic.
A cohort of 26 have been accepted into the fully-subsidised program, which was established in Cairns at Cairns Airport between Jet Aviation and Skytek, with Aviation Australia as the training provider.
Among the students starting on Monday was Mareeba teenager Marcus Stallan-Caamano, who is the youngest participant in the program.
The 16-year-old found his passion helping his grandfather fix engines on their family farm and said he was excited to expand his knowledge.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said.
“I’m interested in every part of the course, especially learning about aeroplane engines.”
Aviation Australia business manager for North Queensland Chris Pigott said the cadetship was created to accelerate skilled specialists into jobs.
“These cadets will be working closely with industry throughout their practical and theoretical training,” he said.
“They will be able to learn on real aircraft instead of a simulated environment. The industry is experiencing huge growth and this program will help to keep up with the demand.”
Students have chosen to study either an avionics or mechanical trade pathway, with fees subsidised under the Queensland Government Aviation Strategy for eligible applicants, along with contributions from the program partners.
On completion of the 10-month cadetship, students who meet the criteria will transition to being employed with either Jet Aviation or Skytek.
Students will be provided with work experience opportunities, support and mentorship, with monitoring every three months to ensure they are on track.
Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said the program presented significant potential for the wider Far North region.
“There is an exciting opportunity here for us to position ourselves as a growing destination for aviation-related careers and training, which would offer positive effects for the broader community,” he said.
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Originally published as Australia’s first ever cadetship of its kind takes off in Cairns
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