Secondary students in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows have one more skilled trades training option to get their careers off the ground: aircraft maintenance engineering.
The school district is offering the new dual credit trades program in partnership with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Dual credit programs allow high school students to take post-secondary courses and earn Grade 12 elective credits towards graduation at the same time.
“It’s a really great opportunity to explore if you have a passion for this sort of thing,” said Alexis Hodacsek, a Grade 12 student from Pitt Meadows Secondary. “You can really get a feel on what your future is going to look like and where you want to go.”
Hodacsek is the first SD42 student to secure a spot in the new dual credit program.
“Being an aircraft maintenance engineer, we are able to completely strip down an aircraft and rebuild it back up,” explained Hodacsek. “And we mainly do structural work. It’s basically like bringing your car into an auto body shop, but it’s an aircraft instead.”
The dual credit program covers the first year of the two-year aircraft maintenance engineer category ‘M’ (AME-M) diploma program at BCIT.
“It’s a certification that’s recognized around the world for anybody who wishes to work on small aircraft – as small as bush planes – all the way up to large jets, commercial airlines, and helicopters,” said Brad Dingler, trades and apprenticeships coordinator with SD42.
Students spend about half the day learning theory and half the day doing practical training in the shops and hangar at BCIT’s aerospace technology campus near the Vancouver International Airport.
Upon completion of the diploma program, students earn a credit of 18 months towards the 48 months of experience required by Transport Canada to obtain the AME-M license. The remaining 30 months they complete through apprenticeships.
“Right now, there is a lot of demand for graduates to become apprentices,” said BCIT aircraft maintenance instructor Abbas Mojarrab.
There are a lot of employers and opportunities out there, he noted, including Cascade Aerospace, Helijet, Million Air, Sunwing, Air Canada, WestJet, and Air Canada.
“They all need aircraft engineers,” Mojarrab said.
Dingler says he’s excited to offer this program for students in the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District.
“As a school district, we endeavour to offer as many opportunities as we can for students,” he said. “This is just another opportunity that we want to provide so students can pursue something they’re passionate about in their Grade 12 year to start them off in a career that will lead them to a satisfying and rewarding lifelong learning opportunity.”
It’s an opportunity that Hodacsek says has kick-started her career.
“Working hands-on in this hangar, […] the shops, and just being on the campus alone, it really reels like if you want to do something – if you have a dream or a passion about anything – if you apply yourself and if you work for it, you can see the results,” she said. “It’s almost like, I don’t want to say dreams coming true, but your goals coming true.”
Learn more about the aircraft maintenance engineer dual credit program and other SD42 apprenticeship training programs on the Trades and Partnerships Programs Website.
If you’re interested in learning more about the trades, come out to the SD42 Trades Showcase on January 23, 2025, at Thomas Haney Secondary. Meet industry representatives and take part in the interactive hands-on activities and demonstrations at the fair. Registration is required. Find the details here.
