Job prospects on completion of an apprenticeship

At a recent talk I gave on apprenticeships I was asked the question: “What about jobs after the end of the scheme?” The current economic climate is tough. In the press, my own company is losing a third of its global workforce, some 8000 people in civil aerospace. Luckily for NDT personnel, both EN 4179 qualifications (for aerospace) and ISO 9712 (for other industries) are mandated somewhere in legislation/insurance rules and it is a compulsory requirement to have someone with those certificates to undertake an NDT job. (I am sure that someday somebody will work out that it is NDT people who sit on all those committees that mandate the need for NDT qualifications, but until that day…) Looking at the data from BINDT and the number of certificates being issued, it is still a very healthy marketplace, with demand from industry. My advice to apprentices is to carry on working hard and gain your NDT qualifications and experience. Ensure you have the right behaviours and flexible attitude and you will be able to find a job. If you have been complacent during your scheme (late, not doing what has been asked of you, playing on your phone all the time), now is the chance to buck your ideas up and improve yourself. When I speak to my NDT colleagues in other companies, most are feeling very over worked, even when working from home. There is demand for good staff. Top tip for apprentices: make sure you are working hard and that the key business decision-makers in recruitment know who you are.

Please note that the views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not represent the views of Rolls-Royce.

Iain Baillie is with Lead Employer Rolls-Royce and is involved with the NDT apprenticeships scheme. He is also BINDT President Elect.

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