Former SRT worker gives up on dream
ABANDONS AVIATION INDUSTRY
IF there was any doubt that the closure of SR Technics at Dublin Airport would mean a loss of important skills in the aviation industry then the case of one Swords man confirms it.
After months of struggling to find employment or further training in the aviation industry, David Potter (22), from River Valley in Swords has abandoned the industry and is retraining as a mechanical engineer. David says his mind was finally made up to leave the aircraft engineering course when he heard of the Tánaiste and the Government's failure to secure a lease at Dublin airport's Hangar Six for Ryanair with the potential of creating 500 maintenance jobs.
Criticising the current situation at Dublin airport David said: 'Aer Lingus aren't even using it (Hangar Six) to its full capacity, they use it for line maintenance which only involves simple maintenance like oil changes, fixing brakes and wheel faults. Ryanair could have ensured some jobs.'
A second year aircraft engineer apprentice, David had been training in the FAS aircraft engineering course since 2008 after qualifying for a place ahead of over a hundred other candidates. When he was let go last April from SRT he continued studying at DIT with the plan of finishing his course while waiting for a response from many aviation companies he had applied to, but after four month's waiting on the dole and still no response he has decided to abandon the aviation industry.
David says his aircraft engineering course with FAS takes four years to finish, with a fifth year needed to achieve a EASA European Aviation Safety Agency Licence, which would have qualified him as a fully certified aircraft engineer.
He said: 'I've already committed two years to the course, which now feels like a huge waste, this was a dream career.'
David is now switching to mechanical engineering which still allows him to use some of the skills he has already learned.
- Brendan KILDEA
