[SINGAPORE] To cut training costs and make the job more attractive, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is looking into cutting the current four-year apprenticeship period for aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) by up to one year.

Under the revised rules, the institute of higher learning (IHL) will conduct a portion of the basic aircraft maintenance training as part of their aerospace curriculum, enabling students' accumulated aircraft maintenance training hours to be counted towards the apprentice training hours required to qualify for a CAAS aircraft maintenance licence.

Aviation rules here require all graduates who want to be employed as AMEs to obtain the CAAS aircraft maintenance licence.

Currently, AME trainees are provided with all the necessary aircraft maintenance training by their Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) employers.

The first IHL to tap on this initiative and obtain a SAR-147 Approved Maintenance Training Organisation certification from CAAS is Temasek Polytechnic (TP).

TP will incorporate basic aircraft maintenance training into its Aerospace Engineering and Aerospace Electronics course curriculum. TP will cover foundational subjects such as aerodynamics, electrical fundamentals and basic maintenance practices. It will also provide hands-on basic aircraft maintenance training in its facilities.

TP graduates who want to work as an AME will undergo the rest of the required training during the apprenticeship period in the industry, which is provided by specialised maintenance training organisations engaged by their employers.

Yap Ong Heng, director-general of CAAS, said that with more manpower required to support the growth of the aircraft maintenance sector, CAAS is constantly exploring ways to encourage more IHL graduates to join the industry.

"In this regard, this initiative will be particularly useful in building the AME pool," he said. "In line with CAAS' ongoing efforts to ensure that our aviation regulations take into account the views of relevant stakeholders, CAAS consulted IHLs and industry partners in developing this initiative."

Copyright 2012 Singapore Press Holdings LimitedAll Rights Reserved