Sikorsky Australia general manager Cliff Kyle said the new group has raised Sikorsky Australia’s apprentice cohort to 12, constituting around 15 per cent of its maintenance workforce.

“We are delighted to welcome the new apprentices and trainee to our team and look forward to helping them become fully qualified aircraft maintenance engineers and warehouse operation logisticians,” he said.

“Our highly skilled, dedicated regional workforce is the backbone of Sikorsky Australia. The team has been proudly sustaining the ADF Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopter fleets for over 30 years with excellence.

“We are focused and committed to recruiting and training apprentices and trainees to grow Australia’s aviation industrial base in support of the ADF’s mission now and into the future.

“We will continue to invest in the Shoalhaven workforce to ensure we have the right people, trained to deliver complex sustainment services on the ‘Hawk’ assets to ensure they are mission ready for our customer.

“With the Australian Defence Force’s recent acquisition of 40 UH-60M Black Hawks and 13 additional MH-60R Seahawks, it’s incumbent on Sikorsky Australia to ensure our regional workforce is nurtured and grown to deliver cutting-edge capability for decades to come.”

Eight apprentices have already graduated from the program and transitioned to full-time roles, including four warehouse logistician trainees who have graduated from the company’s two-year training program.

Sikorsky apprentice Emily Reichler, a qualified landscaper who had worked in a landscaping business in the Shoalhaven for over five years, said she was seeking a change.

“I was looking for a stable career with a new challenge every single day and a great environment. I saw the opportunity on Seek and decided to throw my hat in the ring,” she said.

“I was fortunate to receive one of the apprenticeships at Sikorsky Australia, and I’m so excited with my new career in sustaining the Royal Australian Navy’s Seahawks.

“Having grown up in the Shoalhaven, you see Navy helicopters all day, every day, so it’s nice to finally understand how they operate and why they do what they do.”

Another new apprentice, Chris Neville, said he worked in retail before he joined Sikorsky.

“After nine years within retail, I moved into logistics first with a cheese factory where I built up my experience,” he said.

“I then joined the Sikorsky Australia team as a logistician for over two years. After that time, I was looking for growth opportunities and applied for the aircraft maintenance apprenticeship and won a position.

“It’s a hands-on role, I’m happier in my job, and I get a good feeling knowing that I’m contributing to Australia’s security.

“It’s been a really positive move. I encourage people who are considering a change in careers to back yourself as you can always grow and there are interesting career opportunities at Sikorsky Australia.”