How one apprentice saved his cohort from an uncertain future

By Lee Rome, British Airways Apprentice

This National Apprenticeships Week (3rd – 7th February), we’re sharing the inspirational story of Lee Rome, a British Airways Engineering Apprentice, who saved his and the apprenticeships of 43 others from termination. His dedication to learn is a powerful testament to how young talent are able to make an impact in the world of work.

It was January 2019 and Monarch Aircraft Engineering was entering administration.
Early 2019 marked the halfway point into my four-year apprenticeship at Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL). When the sudden announcement of MAEL entering administration had released, I was extremely shocked. Worry quickly sank in for the future of my apprenticeship.

Even though there were many rumours circulating in the lead up to Christmas – nobody truly believed that the worst was going to happen. When we were told, reality kicked in. Suddenly, my future was in severe doubt, causing great stress for myself and fellow colleagues.

Something had to be done – and done fast.
There were just under 50 of us in total on an Aviation Maintenance apprenticeship within the Engineering arm of Monarch, and all of us were going to lose our apprenticeship. With time running out, I decided we needed to kickstart a plan to get as many of us securing another employer immediately.

It would’ve been easier to look out for myself, but…
I didn’t want to fight for only my future in aviation. My fellow apprentices have worked just as hard to get to where they were. I was keen to ensure all our hard-earned years were not to be wasted.

It was also vital that as many of us kept our apprenticeship, given that the Aviation industry faces a deficit of Engineers and Mechanics.

The appeals began.
After talking to several people, I found myself being handed over contact details for Jason Mahoney; The Director of British Airways Engineering. A British Airways mechanic had kindly shared his contact with me – and as a former apprentice himself, he must’ve empathised the situation we were in. This opportunity couldn’t have come at a greater time.

In writing to Jason, I outlined the situation that Monarch’s Engineering apprenticeship cohort faced and asked if British Airways would consider providing us an opportunity to continue on our apprenticeships with them. I even prefaced that we’d offer to pay for the rest of our remaining modules if it meant securing our apprenticeships!

And with that, the email was sent.

My cohort was in the dark.
Although my fellow apprentices had known I was reaching out to another employer, I felt it was also important to keep them in the dark about which organisation I was reaching out to. This was mostly decided in fear that I’d give them false hope if it didn’t work out or jinx the whole situation entirely!

The much-anticipated reply came back from British Airways.
No surprises here, but at the time, I was paralysed with fear when I immediately received a phone call back from Jason himself – was it good or bad news? When he said he’d try his hardest to arrange something for us, a huge wave of relief swept over me.

A few hours later, I received an email from the collaborative Guidant Global and Carbon60 teams who manage recruitment and apprenticeships for British Airways to gather more information. Although there were still many blanks to fill, I was glad it wasn’t an outright no.

Over the next few months, I became the bridge between British Airways and my fellow apprentices. I spoke to various people at British Airways to move the process along, liaised meetings with Monarch’s HR department on the transferral of apprenticeships and kept our college updated on our apprenticeship statuses.

Securing talent for an industry facing skill shortages.
After all the back and forths, the moment we had been waiting for finally arrived. British Airways sent over a special web link created just for us –hidden away from their careers site – to complete our applications.

Eventually, 44 apprentices from MAEL were recruited. This was momentous. Not only had we secured our futures, but also secured the future pipeline of Engineering talent for our industry!

Moving from Luton to Heathrow wasn’t the most ideal – but that didn’t matter.
As Monarch was based in Luton, relocation was necessary. I picked up everything and made the move down south. Despite the heightened living costs and no increase in pay, the fact that we had all received an inconceivable opportunity to continue on with our apprenticeships was enough to keep us going.

Nearly there…
One last thing we needed to overcome was managing the transition of 44 apprentices who were spread across three different year groups. To address that, I worked closely with British Airways to develop a modified apprenticeship programme which ensured appropriate learning and successful completion of our apprenticeships.

What’s happened since January 2019?
Since joining British Airways, I’ve completed my NVQ and all EASA Part-66 A licence modules. I’ve also been nominated for an ‘Above and Beyond’ award by a Licenced Aircraft Engineer as part of my contributions for the repairs of an Airbus aircraft.

Lee’s attitude, professionalism and duty to his colleagues is second to none, he has done a great service to his fellow apprentices in securing their future and leading them through a very difficult time. Lee has never allowed his passion and determination to waiver and continually strives to be the very best engineer he can, he is a very impressive young engineer and a credit to both Monarch and British Airways.
- Richard Kinnell, Engineering Resourcing at British Airways

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After relocating to LHR, Lee maintained a positive can-do attitude. He is a likeable, proactive student, showing a good level of understanding but not hesitating to ask if he has questions. Lee developed his NVQ folder independently, which held all the required evidence and was well organised and indexed. He has always met or exceeded the targets I set for him, and pushed for frequent meetings to meet his high work load.
I have no doubt that Lee will be successful in his future endeavours. He displays all the characteristics of a good aircraft engineer; reliable, honest and trustworthy, he gets on well with peers and managers. I would not hesitate to recommend him as a permanent employee of British Airways or any other airline.
- Keith Penfold, Aviation NVQ Assessor & Skills Coach at Carbon60

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We’re strong advocates for nurturing young talent and couldn’t be prouder to read heart-warming stories like Lee’s. Come and start your journey today >