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| Apr 12

Brand New Pilot Career & Screening Standards Course

Resource Group is thrilled to introduce our new Pilot Career & Screening Standards course. With over 40 years of experience in pilot recruitment, we have created this course to address knowledge gaps and myths surrounding recruitment processes, and to provide a solid foundation for pilot job applicants based on the latest regulations in the industry.Recruitment and screening processes have evolved significantly in the last few years, becoming much more complex due to continuous regulatory improvements. As a result, our in-house recruiters who carry out the recruitment and screening processes for pilot roles every day, have found that not all candidates are as prepared as they could be.Therefore, this course was created to assist pilots with the necessary interview preparation and assist you in maximising opportunities to achieve your career goals efficiently.What makes this course unique is that it enables you to gain an insight into the recruitment and screening processes from an operator perspective, provides CV and cover letter tips, and acts as a step-by-step guide to assist you with securing your desired flying role.The more prepared you are the higher the chances of success you will have.It should take seconds for a trained recruiter to go through your CV. This course demonstrates how your documentation and its presentation significantly influence the success of your application, enabling you to successfully navigate through each stage of an airline’s selection process. Additionally, it will provide clarity on various aspects of the process, addressing questions you may have had about why certain actions are necessary.Whether you’re aspiring to become a pilot or already flying, it helps you become better prepared for the whole recruitment and selection process.We have invested our time and efforts to present this course in a very comprehensive and visual way to make the training as useful and enjoyable as possible for you.You can purchase the Pilot Career and Screening Standards course here.

| Mar 07

Acknowledging the Impact of Women in Aviation on International Women's Day

Every year on 8th March, we celebrate International Women's Day to recognise and praise the accomplishments of women in social, economic, cultural, and political spheres. This day reminds us of the advancements in promoting gender equality, fostering a moment to appreciate the strides taken and motivating collective efforts for a more inclusive and fair global society. Within the aviation sector, women have significantly progressed, removing barriers and defying stereotypes to emerge as leaders in various fields.On this International Women’s Day and every day, Resource Group recognises the outstanding accomplishments of women in aviation and appreciates the inspiring female leaders within our organisation who persistently contribute to progress and innovation.Our Recruitment TeamOur outstanding account managers and recruitment team go above and beyond to find the most suitable candidates for their clients. Rebecca Cottrell, Daniella Howard, Tasmin Walton, Frances Cooremans, Aurore Bothorel, Ana Ortego, Andrea Sanchez, Gloria Bulnes, Estrella Gutierrez, Paula Gutierrez, Alicia Portero, Nuria Soriana, Iratxe Jaen, Sara Agenjo and Eleanor Martin, are responsible for the recruitment of all our clients’ positions in the aviation industry. They are from various aviation & aerospace backgrounds with skills and experience related to the operation, maintenance and production of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. This means we fully understand our clients' recruitment needs and can deliver the right solutions at the highest standards. Rachael Allott and Beth O’Sullivan form our HR department. They always support our staff members and the business with all aspects of the employee lifecycle including recruitment, professional development and performance management; utilising data monitoring and analysis systems, as well as policy/process review and development, to offer strategic input to support company culture and legal compliance. On this International Women's Day, we extend our appreciation to these remarkable women for their valuable contributions to our company and the aviation industry. Their leadership, dedication, and expertise are an inspiration, and we take immense pride in having them as integral members of Resource Group.

| Jan 18

Transitioning from the military to a corporate role

It can be hard to change to a new role after a career that you’ve lived and breathed daily for years. However, this does not mean that you cannot try something new.We spoke to Ian Fitzpatrick, Group Managing Director at Resource Group, who gave us an insight into his career path and where he is now. How did you start your career?I left school at 17 and was advised by family members to "get a trade and you will never be out of work". I followed their advice and started training as an electrician apprentice, but I was also offered a job as an aircraft electrician in the RAF which was four times the salary. At that stage of my life, it wasn't a difficult decision to make. What made you change career and how difficult was it to transition from the military?I served 22 years in the military. I could have extended my service up to a further 15 years however, I realised I would probably need to start a second career at some point, so I decided the sooner the better. The transition was not difficult at all. I was ready to leave the military and continue my journey in the aviation industry. My first job was as a Technical Instructor - a role where I could transfer previously learned skills from working in a military environment. How does your military experience help you in your current role?Serving in the military gave me inner strength and a high level of independence and resilience. The supervisory, management and leadership training is of a very high standard as you progress through the ranks, which has likely prepared me for the various management roles throughout my career.What has been the most challenging aspect of your career?It might not be the expected answer considering the business challenges I have faced over the years however, in over 30 of the 42 years in my career, I have spent a significant amount of time travelling and being away from home. I've always accepted it as a requirement of my role, although airports, hotels and motorways quickly lose their appeal, and the lack of routine makes it impossible to do regular things outside of work during the week. It is a price worth paying for the opportunity to continue doing what I do.What do you enjoy most about your current role?Working with my team and the wide variety of work I get to be involved in, covering every aspect of my business unit and the Group overall. No two days are ever the same.What advice would you give to others thinking about changing careers?We spend a lot of our life at work and we do not get that time back, so if you stop enjoying what you do and have the opportunity to transition to a different role, then do so. For people leaving the military, I would say be confident that your military career has prepared you well for life outside as you have many transferable skills. Be bold. Do not undersell yourself. Consider my route; I started as an aircraft electrician apprentice and I’m now a Group Managing Director and shareholder in a multi-million-pound international training business.

| Dec 21

A Year In Review

Christmas is just around the corner. Time flies, doesn’t it? It has been a busy year at Resource Group. We have placed more than 80 personnel in permanent roles and over 750 workers in temporary positions with our clients. Now we have reached December, it is the perfect time to reflect on an extraordinary twelve months. EBACE For the 16th year running, we attended Europe's most respected exhibition for companies operating in the business aviation sector. It is a well-recognised event for our VIP aviation clients, where over 13,000 professionals get together to share their aviation knowledge and experience. We enjoyed meeting old clients and colleagues and making new connections at the event. Belgian PayrollWe established a Belgian payroll to serve the needs of a growing and prestigious MRO client in Brussels. We are pleased to say that this is running smoothly, with an increasing number of technical staff employed. Our client is delighted with the result. MRO EuropeWe attended MRO Europe – a premier exhibition for aircraft maintainers and service providers. Each year, this event attracts over 10,000 attendees who look to secure business opportunities and establish valuable new networks. Executive SearchWe set up an Executive Search service, providing recruitment support to our clients looking for senior management talent. We have received more candidate registrations than ever before on behalf of clients, from applicants with leadership credentials at a senior level.Our ClientsOur recruitment consultants are from various aviation & aerospace backgrounds, and have skills and experience related to the operation, maintenance, and production of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, enabling us to meet the needs of our clients. These achievements include: Managing the outsourced HR and recruitment functions of two industry-leading airlines and successfully recruiting for more than 85% of their vacancies. We worked with over 30 aviation clients to source candidates for various temporary roles including, sheet metal workers, licenced engineers, unlicenced engineers, flight crew and many more.We managed to find candidates where other agencies were unsuccessful. Even the client didn't think we could achieve this. These recruitment requests were often at short notice and in locations like Indonesia, Switzerland and Canada, where manpower is not as easy to find.We recruited engineers who matched client requirements to support heavy maintenance (C and D Checks) on multiple B747, B777, A340 and Global Express aircraft. It gives us great pride to assist our clients in delivering their aircraft on time and within budget. We sourced workers to support the completion and outfitting of various narrow-body aircraft on behalf of VVIP end clients. As we round off another great year full of highlights, we thank all our clients who continue to support us. We cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store.

| Sep 25

Resource Group Launches a New Way to Get Your CAT B Licence

Are you looking at becoming a B1 or B2 licenced engineer and researching the different ways to study your Part 66 modules? Or are you looking for a career change and wondering what courses you need to take? Like any job, gaining the qualifications you need isn’t easy and requires you to put time and effort into your studies, whilst juggling work and life commitments.sourcegroup.co.uk With this in mind, Resource Group has launched brand new Part 66 Self-Study modules which enable you to study towards your Part 66 licence in your own time, at your own pace; reducing the need to take long periods away from work. There are great career prospects for licenced engineers and the aviation industry needs skilled aircraft maintainers now more than ever, so there’s no better time to start training. Our new Part 66 self-study courses offer a cost effective, flexible and high-quality solution for you to work towards, or extend, your Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence. The ability to study around work and life commitments means working towards a Part-66 licence is now more accessible than ever. To find out more, visit www.training.resourcegroup.co.uk

| Apr 06

A Day In The Life Of A Recruiter

Today (6th April) marks International Recruiter Day. So, we caught up with our engineering and aviation maintenance recruiter, Paula Gutierrez, who works in our Madrid office.1. What does your typical day consist of? My role varies day-to-day but it always begins with a coffee. Being organised is a key part of a recruiter’s job so I start the day by going through my emails to see if there are any urgent tasks, which I work on first. I action client requests which can include uploading new roles onto job portals and update existing vacancy information if the client’s needs change. You need to be very reactive as a recruiter, which is what I enjoy the most.I sift through all new job applications to see whether candidates are suitable for the role they have applied for and if so, contact them to discuss the next steps in the recruitment process.There are various stages depending on client requirements and the position we are recruiting for, but this sometimes involves a call with candidates to discuss experience, salary expectations, document checks and availability. I work on multiple positions at the same time so it is important for me to check on the status of each role and work with our internal marketing team to see how we can attract more candidates if needed. This can include job advertisements on our company social media pages and headhunting directly using LinkedIn. Fridays tend to be the most strenuous day for me because I need to ensure everything is in place, ready for candidates to begin their new role on the Monday. 2. What is the most rewarding part of your role?The most rewarding part of my job is placing candidates in a new position. Not only because I am helping my clients to find great talent, but whenever I have been offered a role in the past, I have always felt really excited; so it is great to be the one to share positive news with successful candidates. We strive on finding the right people, the first time round.3. Why did you choose to become a recruiter? I didn’t plan to become a recruiter. My path into recruitment came when I was working in England as a Health Care Assistance for a health and social care company. I’m quite a confident, approachable and patient person, and so my colleagues thought I demonstrated the personal qualities of a recruiter. The company offered me the opportunity to join their head office recruitment team, where I began recruiting for specialised profiles. I never thought I’d be able to do a job like that however, I picked it up quickly and found it incredibly rewarding.My role at Resource Group is very different from my previous position, because the profiles I am recruiting for now are a lot more specific. It’s been challenging to learn about a new industry but I’ve received great support from my colleagues, and I really enjoy recruiting for engineering maintenance roles.4. Why do you enjoy working as a recruiter for Resource Group?I enjoy being part of a vibrant and high-energy team of industry experts. They all provide a great source of information and are willing to support when needed. I’m lucky to work in a well-structured organisation where compliance is taken care of, which enables me to focus on my tasks at hand. I work closely with our dedicated account managers to ensure I have an in-depth understanding of client briefs, and it’s this attention to detail that allows me to have autonomy of my work when finding candidates. Our client base is very varied, and I get the chance to work with some of the largest airlines and maintenance companies worldwide, which is impressive. 5. What are the personal qualities a recruiter should have?You need to have industry knowledge, especially when recruiting for specialised positions, so that you can confidently liaise with candidates and answer their questions.Good communication skills are a must because you will be liaising with candidates at different stages in their careers and from different backgrounds, and it’s important to build a rapport.Recruiters will be working on a number of jobs at the same time, so multi-tasking and being able to prioritise are definitely skills to have. Patience is also an important skill because, as with any job, things don’t always go to plan. Candidates’ availability may change and clients may alter requirements, so being organised and reactive will help.6. What advice would you give someone interested in becoming a recruiter? My advice would be to research and understand the industry you are working in and always show enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

| Feb 02

How To Become an Aircraft Engineer Apprentice

Are you looking to start your career in aviation and would like to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer? Here we explain the requirements you need to become an apprentice and to help you achieve your dreams.The apprenticeship route is now seen as an accreditable alternative to college and university, and there are multiple apprenticeship programme levels that you can take to support your career development.What is an apprenticeship?“An apprenticeship is a job with training. Through an apprenticeship, an apprentice will gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills and behaviours that they need for their immediate job and future career.” – Education and Skills Funding Agency.An apprenticeship allows an individual to combine work with an accompanying skills development programme, meaning apprentices gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and skills they need for their immediate job and future career. They gain this experience through a varied mix of learning in the workplace, formal ‘off-the-job’ training, and the opportunity to practise new skills in an actual working environment.What does an Aircraft Engineer do?As an aircraft engineer, you will be required to carry out approved maintenance repairs on aircraft to ensure they are safe to fly.The type of aircraft you will work on varies depending on the company you work for, and will range from small aircraft to airliners, helicopters, and civil and military. You will learn the fundamental expertise, skills and behaviours required of an aircraft engineer. This involves highly qualified and skilled work, sustaining and managing aircraft systems and using appropriate hand tools and equipment. Can I go to college?The simple answer is yes. However, we strongly recommend that you contact some potential employers e.g. Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways and CHC to name a few, to establish which qualifications (A Levels, BTEC and T Levels), they would be willing to accept. This is because certain qualifications may have a significant impact on the amount of funding available to cover the cost of your training.What qualifications do you need to apply? You must have 5 GCSEs (with at least 4 at grades A* - C) including Maths, English and Science. We will ask for copies of your certificates at the beginning of the recruitment phase. Please note that some employers may require a higher achievement grade. If you hold a degree or higher, we would advise you to look into an Engineer Graduate Programme or a level 4 certifying engineer apprenticeship. Eligibility for an apprentice You must be eligible to live and work in the UK and “have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the British Overseas Territories, or Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship”. You must not be enrolled on any other Department for Education funded programme.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules-for-employers/annex-a-eligibility-criteria-who-we-fundWhat we look for:You should be able to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the company you have applied for and what the job entails.You show enthusiasm and passion for engineering and aviation in general.You communicate well.You understand the importance of safety.Show willingness to learn and develop yourself.An ability to demonstrate integrity and honesty.An ability to follow direction and processes in a respectful and compliant manner.You can work in a team and individually unsupervised. You are comfortable working at heights and in confined spaces.What qualifications will you gain as an apprentice?Year 1 – EAL Level 2 Diploma in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering (Foundation Competence). EASA/UK CAA Part-66 Year 2 – EAL Level 3 Diploma in Aviation Maintenance (Development Competence).If you would like to take a look at our current apprenticeship roles, visit: www.employment.resourcegroup.co.uk/jobsFor more information about the apprenticeship courses we offer, visit: https://training.resourcegroup.co.uk/apprenticeships-2-apprenticeship/The advantage of training with LRTT is our ability to offer training from various UK locations including Gatwick, Luton, Heathrow and Stansted airports.

| Jul 25

Airline Recovery

Predicting when the aviation industry will operate at full capacity again is hard to know, and reports state that this won’t be before 2024.However, the recent surge in the number of holiday bookings has certainly taken the industry by storm."The number of air passengers carried from January to April 2022 increased by 65% compared to the same period in 2021, while aircraft flight departures increased by 30%." - ICAO Uniting Aviation. Leisure trips will be the main factor that assists with the recovery of airlines, and by the end of 2022, it is forecast that North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and the Latin America/Caribbean region will be operating at total seat capacity levels similar to those we saw pre-pandemic. Pilot Shortage The aviation industry is enduring a shortage of pilots as the global in-service fleet has already skyrocketed to 76% of pre-covid levels. Unfortunately, the attraction to becoming a pilot has decreased due to the uncertainty of a stable career path.Several furloughed pilots have returned to their job, but many have found employment elsewhere in different industries, and others took early retirement packages.We spoke to a number of pilots to find out why they believe airlines are struggling to fulfill Pilot/First Officer roles. This is the feedback we received: Pilots are looking for more stability/permanent work rather than contract work, e.g. 6 months over the summer period. Many prefer being closer to home and don't want to be away from home for long periods e.g. 3 months at a time. Some no longer want to work unsocial hours. Others have found alternative work that is still within the aviation industry, for example as Flight Instructors or Ground Operations. The pilot shortage is adding to the chaos at airports alongside rising fuel prices and too many people travelling across the summer period of 2022. How are airlines trying to find more pilots?Many airlines are trying to think of different ways to recruit new pilots, these include:Higher Salaries - some but not all airlines are increasing pay by 50%. However, this is only temporary.Recruiting retired pilots - several pilots retired at 50 due to the pandemic but are still physically fit and healthy to operate aircraft. Staff up with Trainers - having past pilots who may no longer be able to fly, train other staff. This will prevent current pilots being taken away from operating an aircraft to deliver training. Pilot Training ICAO reports that by 2030, commercially operated aircraft will increase from 61,833 to 151,565.To meet these targets, it is suggested that the number of professionals who will need training by 2030 is as follows:Pilots – 160,000Maintenance Personnel – 360,000Air traffic controllers – 40, 000For more information visit: https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/icao-study-reveals-strong-demand-for-qualified-aviation-personnel-up-to-2030.aspxPre-pandemic, the job market was very competitive with many applicants for pilot roles. This meant airlines were able to be picky when it came to applicant experience and requirements. However, due to the current pilot shortage, low-cost airlines are now accepting qualified candidates with less flight hours and experience. For example - Ryanair, Easyjet, and Wizz Air are recruiting both newly qualified and highly experienced/qualified pilots. Jet2 is offering candidates the chance to become a pilot apprentice and work in a non-flying role for several months. The pilot apprentices will then be required to change to a flight deck role. We understand that the cost of pilot training is expensive however, once fully trained, you could earn a considerably high salary. We regularly recruit for pilot positions. If you would like to view the current roles we have, visit here.

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