Would-be apprentices hope career will take off with airline

Dozens of eager young people flocked to Norwich Airport today hoping to get on one of KLM's coveted places - to earn while they learn.

Four hundred people work for KLM in Norwich - and ten per cent of them began as apprentices.

KLM UK Engineering Managing Director Arjan Meijer said : "We have a certain level of education that we need but of course we need people that are dedicated and really want to work in the aviation industry with good technical skills."

But not everyone will be lucky to land a place. Last year 13 were chosen - some of them straight from school.

Jake Hishon said : "I started in 2010 when I left school and I'm now in my fourth year of my apprenticeship working on night shifts. If I had gone to university it was just the daunting idea of all the money and the debt and things like that."

The new batch of trainee mechanics will join a four year programme. Would-be apprentice Matthew Razzell said : "It seems better than going down the university route - you get qualifications and you get paid whilst you do it."

Several ex-apprentices are now in management positions with the company.