Aircraft Engineer Apprenticeship Requirements in the UK (2026)

Most UK aircraft engineers start as apprentices, and the first question is always the same: what do I need to get in? The aircraft engineer apprenticeship requirements are set by each employer and training provider, not by the CAA, so they vary. But there is a clear common core, and knowing it lets you fix gaps before the application window opens. This post covers the usual entry requirements, the apprenticeship standard most schemes use, what you get paid, and how the apprenticeship feeds into a Part-66 licence.

Part-66 Prep is an independent study aid, not an employer, a training provider or the CAA. For the full career route, read how to become an aircraft engineer.

The usual aircraft engineer apprenticeship requirements

The National Careers Service profile for aerospace engineering technicians (alternative title: aircraft maintenance technician) says you will usually need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science. Higher and degree apprenticeships usually also ask for A levels.

That is the baseline. In practice, adverts from airlines, maintenance organisations and manufacturers often add some of the following:

Requirement	How common	Notes
GCSE maths, English, science at 4 or above	Almost always	Some ask for 5 or 6 in maths
A physics or engineering qualification	Often preferred	Not always essential
Minimum age	16 or over in England	GOV.UK sets 16 as the minimum and states no maximum; an employer may set a higher minimum
Right to work in the UK	Always	Funding rules also apply
Aptitude or online tests	Common	Maths, mechanical reasoning, spatial
Interview or assessment day	Almost always	Practical tasks and teamwork exercises
Colour vision and fitness checks	Common	Wiring colour codes, working at height
Security vetting	Common for airside roles	Background checks for an airside pass

Treat the table as a pattern from typical adverts, not a rule. Read the specific advert, and if a requirement is unclear, ask the employer before you apply.

Key fact: Part-66 itself sets no academic entry requirement. You need the module passes, the experience for your category and to be at least 18 to hold a licence (66.A.15). GCSE requirements come from employers and colleges.

Can you apply without the GCSEs?

Sometimes. Some providers accept equivalent qualifications, or let you complete Functional Skills in English and maths during the apprenticeship. Others will not move on maths. If your maths is weak, fix it first: Part-66 Module 1 is mathematics without a calculator, and Modules 2 and 3 build on it. The free Module 1 arithmetic note is a fair test of whether you are ready.

The Level 3 aircraft maintenance technician standard

Most licence-track schemes in England use the apprenticeship standard ST1315 Aircraft maintenance technician (Level 3), published by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. As of October 2026 it states:

• a typical on-programme duration of 36 months, plus an end-point assessment period of about 3 months;
• a funding band of £27,000, paid through apprenticeship funding, not by you;
• two routes: a mandated qualification route (Level 2 and Level 3 aviation maintenance diplomas) and a UK Part-66 route, where the training is a Part-147 regulatory course;
• that technicians "may be required to hold an Aircraft Maintenance Licence", issued by the CAA, EASA or a military equivalent.

It replaced one pathway of the older Engineering technician standard (ST0457), so you may still see that name on some adverts. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own apprenticeship frameworks; the employer will tell you which one applies.

Why the route matters for your licence

This is the question most applicants forget to ask. Under 66.A.30, experience after a Part-147 approved basic course is much shorter: 2 years instead of 5 for B1.1, B1.3 and B2, and 1 year instead of 3 for category A, B1.2 and B3. An apprenticeship whose training is not delivered by a Part-147 organisation for your category can still be excellent experience, but you would need the full duration. The experience requirements guide sets out every category.

Ask at interview:

1. Is the training delivered by a UK Part-147 approved organisation?
2. Which licence category does it cover: A, B1.1, B1.3 or B2?
3. Are the module exams sat at the school as part of the course?
4. What happens after the apprenticeship: a mechanic role, or support towards the licence?

What apprentices are paid

Pay is set by each employer and many pay well above the minimum. The legal floor, from the GOV.UK minimum wage rates page, is the apprentice rate of £8 an hour from April 2026. It applies if you are under 19, or 19 or over and in the first year of your apprenticeship. After the first year, an apprentice aged 19 or over is entitled to the normal minimum wage for their age (£12.71 an hour at 21 and over, from April 2026).

We don't quote typical apprentice salaries because no official source publishes them for aviation specifically. Adverts usually state the starting pay; compare those directly.

Exam tip: Apprentices sit Part-66 module exams during the course. Practising at the real paper size early, for example the free Module 1 paper 1, takes some of the pressure off the first exam block.

How competitive is it?

There are no official figures for applications per place, so we won't invent one. What is consistent across employers is that places are limited, applications open once a year for many schemes, and the assessment stage filters heavily on maths, mechanical reasoning and attitude to safety. The career guide lists the skills employers look for at that stage.

Where to find vacancies

• The official Find an apprenticeship service (England).
• Airline, MRO and manufacturer careers pages, which often open in autumn and winter for September starts.
• The armed forces, which train aircraft technicians and have a route into civil licensing (see the military experience section of the experience guide).

From apprentice to licensed engineer

An apprenticeship is the start, not the licence. A typical B1.1 path looks like this:

1. Complete the Part-147 basic training and pass all 13 B1.1 modules (the list is on the modules by category page).
2. Build experience on operating aircraft, logged in a CAP 741 logbook, until you meet the 2-year post-course requirement, with at least one year of recent experience.
3. Apply to the CAA for your licence (£455 per category as of October 2026).
4. Complete type training and on-the-job training for your first aircraft type, then receive a certification authorisation from your employer.

Some apprentices take a category A licence first; see the Part-66 category A licence guide. The B1 engineer guide covers the full timeline.

A checklist before you apply

• GCSE maths, English and science at grade 4 or above, or a plan to get them.
• Basic algebra, fractions and unit conversions without a calculator.
• A short, honest answer to "why aircraft maintenance?"
• Some hands-on evidence: a car, bike, model, workshop job or school project you can talk about.
• Questions ready about the Part-147 training and the licence category.

Next step

Find out how your maths and science stand up before the aptitude test. Take the free B1.1 diagnostic: 20 questions across the B1.1 modules, no account needed. If you are leaning towards avionics, try the B2 diagnostic instead.