After completing a Level 3 apprenticeship in engineering, Shayne Hadland was selected to represent the UK at the WorldSkills competition in Brazil
Shayne began his apprenticeship with the RAF in 2008 and completed a level 3 NVQ in aeronautical engineering (mechanical component overhaul), an advanced level apprenticeship in engineering.
Shayne said: “My experience as an apprentice was great. I got to complete it in the transmission bay of the Puma Depth Support Hub at RAF Benson. This meant I was able to work with advanced pieces of equipment, at an in-depth level that few aircraft engineers get to see.”
“Early on in my career I was named as the RAF’s Apprentice of the Year while working as an aircraft technician. Later, I achieved a bronze medal at the national final held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham and spent two years training hard to become one of the best aircraft engineers in the UK. My hard work paid off when I was selected as the sole competitor to represent the UK in my trade at the WorldSkills competition in Sao Paulo in Brazil.”
“At WorldSkills there were 60 countries competing in 50 different skills. In the aircraft engineering event there were 15 countries competing. The competition involved seven different tasks, each one testing all of the skills used by an aircraft engineer.”
“I couldn’t have achieved what I have in the past year without the RAF. Getting to Brazil meant that I was able to compete in my trade at the highest level possible, while also raising the profile of what I do and demonstrating what my apprenticeship has taught me.”
