On-job scheme is flying start

If air travel is your chosen mode of transport, you will be hoping the mechanic who serviced the plane's engines has plied his trade with due diligence. Mr Darragh O'Donoghue has decided that the job involved is the one for him.

He is doing a FAS training course in Finglas, Dublin, elaborately entitled "Aircraft component overhaul technician - gas turbine engine fuel systems", one of a new series of traineeships which is organised in conjunction with a private sector company.

The company in this case is Wood Group JTC, based in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, which specialises in servicing aircraft fuel systems. The company is expanding its workforce as the trainees come on stream.

Mr O'Donoghue (19), from Mitchelstown, Co Cork, had originally applied to Ryanair to be an avionics engineer apprentice, hoping to follow in his brother's footsteps. When Woodgroup contacted him about its two-year traineeship, he gave up the apprenticeship he was doing in Cork as a fitter/fabricator and took up the new offer. The course has been approved by the Irish Aviation Authority.

FAS has a throughput of more than 1,200 annually on its traineeship scheme, and each of the courses involved has links with individual companies and industry organisations. A quarter of the trainee costs are paid by private industry.

One of the advantages of the scheme is the hands-on experience received by trainees who spend part of their time on company premises actually doing the job. There is a resulting reduction in employee induction and recruitment costs across more than 40 courses ranging from computer maintenance to butcher/boner.

There are more than 20 trainees at various stages on the same course as Mr O'Donoghue and their wages, in their first year, work out at about £9,200 (€11,682) annually, paid by both FAS and JTC. That is more than is paid in most apprenticeships.

In August, Mr O'Donoghue will start training with the company working on "live units off aircraft".

As a qualified technician, he can expect to earn up to £16,500 in his first year, rising to £18,500 by the third year.