Aerospace engineering technician

Aerospace engineering technicians design, build, test and repair civil and military aircraft.

Salary range: £20,000 to £35,000

How to become an aerospace engineering technician

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship

University

You can do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in engineering to get into this career. Relevant subjects include:

• aeronautical engineering
• mechanical engineering
• electrical or electronics engineering
• avionics

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
• 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• student finance for fees and living costs
• university courses and entry requirements

College

You could do a college course like:

• Level 3 Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
• Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Engineering
• Level 3 Diploma in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering

These courses cover areas like CNC (computer numerical controlled) machining, computer aided design and maintenance work.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice
• search for courses

Apprenticeship

You can train through an advanced engineering technician apprenticeship with an airline operator, airline manufacturer or service engineering company.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

More information

Further information

You’ll find more on working and training in aerospace engineering from Careers in Aerospace and Tomorrow’s Engineers.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You’ll need:

• knowledge of engineering science and technology
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with your hands
• the ability to use your initiative
• persistence and determination
• the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
• maths skills
• the ability to work well with others
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

What you’ll do

Day-to-day tasks

You’ll usually work in either:

• mechanics – building and servicing aircraft fuselage, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, like wings, engines and landing gear
• avionics – installing and testing electrical and electronic systems used in navigation, communications and flight control

Your day-to-day duties in both areas might include:

• developing component plans using computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software
• investigating and testing solutions to engineering problems
• building and testing prototypes
• using prototypes to predict and improve the performance of aircraft systems

Working environment

You could work in an aircraft hangar, on an aircraft, in a factory, in an office or in a laboratory.

Your working environment may be cramped.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into supervisory, project management and higher management roles, or specialise in a particular field, like aircraft design.