Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technician

CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE AWARDING OF A PLACE TO BECOME AN AIR CORPS TRAINEE MILITARY AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN IN THE AIR CORPS

1. GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS To qualify, a candidate shall at the time of application be: (i) a citizen of the State, or be any other person who has a lawful entitlement to reside and work within the State for the period of time that is required for the purpose of any such appointment and (ii) be of good character and satisfy any security clearance required and (iii) meet the required minimum standards of medical and physical fitness. 2. AGE REQUIREMENT Candidates must be 18 years of age or above and under 39 years of age on 12th June 2024. Please note that the upper age limit may be the subject of review in advance of future Competitions. 3. MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS Candidates must have attained the required minimum educational qualifications at the time of entry into the Air Corps. On enlistment, a candidate must have obtained specific minimum grades in the Leaving Certificate/National Equivalent. The standard minimum entry requirements are a minimum of Grade O6 in five subjects, at ordinary level, to include Mathematics, English or Irish or National Equivalent qualification and one of the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Construction Studies or other STEM subject (scientific, technical, engineering, mathematical). Foundation Level and Leaving Cert Applied subjects are not reckonable. PLEASE NOTE:

• Foundation Level and Leaving Certificate Applied subjects do not qualify for the Aircraft Technicians competition.
• The specific minimum grades in the Leaving Certificate/National Equivalent may be the subject of review in advance of future competitions. All Air Corps Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technicians will sit the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence Modules to obtain theoretical knowledge for EASA B1.1 (Fixed Wing - Gas Turbine Engine) or B1.3 (Rotary Wing - Gas Turbine Engine) or B2 (Avionics) license requirements. The Air Corps Technical Training School is licenced by the Irish Aviation Authority as an EASA Part 147 School. Technicians with the EASA qualification (EASA Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence in either Category B1 or B2) may be eligible to apply to enter year 3 of the BEngTech in Aviation Technology (Level 7) DT011, which is the civil programme offered by the accrediting Academic Institute –Technological University Dublin.

PLEASE NOTE: At the end of the technical training period the successful technician will receive an EASA Qualification from the Air Corps Technical Training School, which is licensed by the Irish Aviation Authority. 4. MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL STANDARDS Candidates must be in good mental and bodily health and free from any physical defect, abnormality, physiological condition or history of serious illness likely to interfere with the efficient performance of his/her Military duties. a. Height: The minimum height requirement is 157.48 cm. Physical standards and weight must be in keeping with height and age. b. Vision: Vision must be not less than 6/36 in each eye, corrected to not less than 6/6 in one eye and 6/9 in the other. Normal night and colour vision are required. Both eyes must be free from disfiguring or incapacitating abnormality and free from acute or chronic disease. There must be no evidence of squint or latent squint. The eligibility, or not, of applicants who have had previous incisional or laser treatment to correct visual acuity will be determined at the Medical Examination. Please see Annex B for further information.' c. Dental: Candidates must be free from any serious periodontal disease and possess teeth to a specific standard, which is not less than the equivalent of eleven over eleven natural teeth functionally opposed. In certain circumstances, artificial teeth may be acceptable. d. Hearing: A good standard of unaided hearing is essential.Candidates will be required to undergo audiometric examination at which:

(1) The sum of the hearing threshold at 1,2,3, 4 and 6 kHz should not exceed the age and gender related warning levels contained in the "Guidelines on Hearing Checks and Audiometry Regulations 2007", issued by the Health and Safety Authority. (2) Candidates must be able to hear all measured pure tones up to and including 8 kHz at 20dB in each ear. Candidates must also be free from acute or chronic ear disorders. Candidates are advised to avoid all sources of loud noise and music for a period of 48 hours prior to this examination as exposure to such noise may adversely affect the results of the examination.

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates must satisfy these various medical and physical standards and requirements in order to remain in the Competition. 5. APPLICATION FORM Candidates must apply online to www.military.ie Candidates wishing to undertake the assessments through Irish must make this request known to the Defence Forces Recruitment Section at recruitment@defenceforces.ie All correspondence with candidates will be done by email for the duration of the competition. Candidates should ensure the email address given is accurate and correct. Each application is acknowledged automatically within 24 hours. If an acknowledgement is not received within 48 hours of applying, candidates should immediately contact the Defence Forces Recruitment Section at: 045 492553 or at recruitment@defenceforces.ie Likewise, if an applicant’s email address should change, the onus is on the applicant to make contact with the Defence Forces Recruitment Section immediately advising them of the change of email address. Serving members of the PDF will be required to include their Service Number on the application form. All Candidates who are invited to attend for the Assessment Phase of the competition, as outlined under Selection Procedure below, will be required to bring valid identification, i.e. Passport or Driving Licence as proof of identity. In addition, candidates will be required to bring original documentary evidence that they meet the Leaving Certificate (or National Equivalent) minimum educational qualifications, as outlined at the start of Part 1 above. Candidates called to Stage 3 - the Interview - will be required to bring their long form Birth Certificate (Photocopies are not acceptable). Before submitting an application for an Air Corps Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technician appointment and placement on the training programme, applicants should ensure that they satisfy the eligibility criteria and have read and accept the conditions governing this Competition. 6. SELECTION PROCEDURE Candidates, if selected, will be required to attend for the various stages of the selection procedure on the dates and times as notified by email. Candidates who fail to attend for any stage of the selection procedure will be disqualified from participation in any further stages of that competition. Stage 1 – Online Psychometric Testing Depending on application numbers, candidates may be required to complete an online unsupervised psychometric test at Stage 1. Candidates will be supplied with psychometric test familiarisation material in order to introduce them to the format of the tests. Candidates will be required to complete all psychometric tests within the timeframe specified by the Defence Force. Candidates should pay particular attention to ensuring that the contact details specified on their application are correct. Candidates who have attained the requisite score in the unsupervised online psychometric test at Stage 1 (if applicable), will be required to attend for a subsequent supervised online psychometric test at Stage 2.

Note: If a candidate fails to meet the minimum standard at Stage 1, they will not be permitted to proceed to the next stage of the competition Stage 2 –Physical Fitness and Suitability Assessments Candidates who have attained the requisite score at Stage 1 of the competition, will be required to attend for Physical Fitness Testing and Suitability Assessments as part of the Competition. The Physical Fitness Test will consist of the following;

• Physical Fitness Test: All eligible candidates (to include serving members of the Permanent Defence Force) will initially be called to undergo a Physical Fitness assessment, which is designed to test their potential to endure the rigorous of military training (see Annex C). Candidates must attain the minimum standard laid down in order to proceed in the competition. A candidate must complete this test as part of their application and the test is not valid for any other Defences Forces competition. (See Annex ‘D’ for details of the test and suggested training programme).

The Suitability Assessment will consist of the following: Supervised Psychometric Tests: If a candidate’s performance at a supervised test is outside the expected scoring range from their unsupervised test at Stage 1 (if applicable), they may be excluded from subsequent stages of the selection process. Psychomotor and Cognitive Testing: Candidates will be required to complete both psychomotor and cognitive testing.

Note: If a candidate fails to meet the minimum standard of any part of the Physical Fitness Test, or the Suitability Assessments they will NOT be permitted to proceed to the next stage of the competition.

Stage 3 – The Interview Successful candidates will be invited to attend a competency based interview where they will be required to demonstrate competency in a selection of the following areas: o Teamwork o Technical Aptitude. o Ability to Work under Pressure o Military Career Orientation. o Personal Motivation

In the competency based interview, candidates will be asked to give examples from their own experiences of life, school, university hobbies, work, pastimes, etc., to demonstrate evidence in several of the above areas. Candidates who fail any of the competencies at Final Interview will be deemed unsuccessful in the competition. Interview locations include Casement Aerodrome, Air Corps HQ, Baldonnel, Dublin 22 and various other Military Posts. Members of the Permanent Defence Force who apply for this Competition and who meet all the eligibility criteria will be afforded the opportunity to compete in the Selection Process.

7. EXPENSES Candidates, other than a member of the Defence Force, are liable for all expenses incurred in connection with their participation in the Military Systems Aircraft technician’s competition and on first reporting for enlistment. 8. MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS A panel will be formed from Candidates who are successful at interview. Candidates on this panel will be required to undergo and pass a detailed medical examination, which includes an audiometric test. Candidates who do not pass the medical examination owing to a medical condition that, in the opinion of the Examining Medical Officer, is capable of being remedied by treatment, may be afforded the opportunity of having the condition rectified within one week of their examination. Such candidates will be required to submit medical evidence indicating that the condition has been remedied. They may be required to undergo further medical examination, by another Medical Officer. Medical fitness will not be confirmed until the results of all tests are available to the Medical Officer. 9. EMPLOYEE VETTING BY AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA Candidates who are invited to attend before an Interview Board will be required to complete and sign a Garda Vetting Application Form. This will, pursuant to the Data Protection Act, 2018, authorise An Garda Síochána to furnish to the Military Authorities, a statement that there are no convictions recorded against the candidate, or if applicable, a statement of convictions. 10. OFFER OF PLACEMENT Following interview, medical and physical examinations and security clearance being obtained, successful candidates high enough on the order of merit will be offered a placement on the Trainee Military Aviation Systems Technician Scheme. The decision of the Minister for Defence is final. The enlistment of successful candidates on the Trainee Military Aviation Systems Technician Scheme will be subject to the following: a. The candidate passing a pre-enlistment medical examination on reporting for enlistment. This examination is in addition to the detailed medical examination at Paragraph 4 above. b. A candidate who is offered a placement must report for enlistment at the required time and place. Failure to report for duty will result in the offer of a place to become an Air Corps Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technician in the Air Corps being forfeited. c. Successful candidates will complete an initial period (approx. 29 weeks) of military training. On successfully completing this military training, personnel will advance to 3Star Private/Airman/Airwoman rank and will then commence technical training as a Trainee Military Aviation Systems Technician as outlined below in part 2, para 3. 11. CONDITIONS OF ENLISTMENT a. Successful candidates will be required to enlist for service in the Air Corps for a total period of twelve years (comprising nine years in the Permanent Defence Force and three years in the Reserve Defence Force) should they fulfil such criteria as set out in Defence Force Regulations and as may be laid down by the Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) in regards to such matters as conduct rating, physical fitness and medical category. b. Successful candidates appointed from this competition, who are already serving in the Permanent Defence Force, will be discharged and immediately re-enlisted in the rank of trainee technician as set out in Defence Force Regulation A. 10. c. Candidates may then be re-engaged for such a period as will make up a continuous period of 21 years of service should they fulfil such criteria as laid down by the Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) in regards to such matters as conduct rating, physical fitness and medical category. d. A currently serving member who enlisted in the Permanent Defence Force on or after 1 Jan 1994 may, subject to Defence Force Regulations and to meeting certain criteria and conditions, be permitted to continue in service up to the age of 60 years to the rank of Sergeant and all higher enlisted ranks. e. Upon successful completion of the training course, graduates are eligible for the award of a QQI Level 7 Bachelor of Engineering Technology in Military Aviation Technology (B.Eng. Tech. Level 7) on completion of the requisite modules. Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technicians will also sit the EASA Part 66 modules to obtain theoretical knowledge for EASA B1.1 (FW Turbine), or B1.3 (RW Turbine), or B2 (Avionics) licence requirements. f. A Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technician will be withdrawn from completing the training programme if:

• they fail to show satisfactory progress at any time during the course of training, or fails to pass the examinations required to progress on the course, or fails to develop the qualities requisite for the satisfactory completion of the course, or if their conduct or service is unsatisfactory or
• as a result of examination by a Medical Board, where, at any time, they are found to be in a medical category lower than that prescribed or, at their own written request. A technician who has been removed from the training programme (except as a result of the results of a Medical Board examination as outlined above), will be permitted to seek discharge by purchase from the Defence Force, or, subject to the recommendation of their Commanding Officer, will be permitted to remain in the Defence Forces as a line soldier. A technician who is permitted to remain in the Defence Force as a line soldier, and who has previous service in the Defence Force, will be bound by the terms of their new enlistment. g. A candidate leaving the Permanent Defence Force voluntarily following their date of attestation, will be required to pay such cost for discharge as isspecified in Defence Forces Regulations A10. h. On successful completion of training, technicians will routinely be posted to aircraft maintenance duties in the Air Corps. i. Under the terms of the Defence Amendment Act 2006, all Defence Forces personnel, if selected, are expected to serve overseas from time to time j. Successful candidates will be required to undertake compulsory random drug testing throughout their career in the Defence Force in accordance with the Defence Act 1954 and the Defence Force Regulation A7.

GUIDE TO THE AIR CORPS TRAINEE MILITARY AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN TRAINING PROGRAMME 2024 1. THE AIR CORPS The Air Corps currently operates twenty six aircraft in multi-role national aviation tasks. The types of aircraft include Learjet 45, CASA CN235 maritime patrol aircraft, Airbus CN295 maritime patrol aircraft, BN Defender, Pilatus PC-9M and PC-12. The Air Corps also operates Eurocopter EC135 and Leonardo AW139 helicopters. The primary role of the Air Corps is to provide support to the Army, Naval Service and An Garda Síochána in countering threats to State security on land, sea and air. In addition, the day to day peace time role of the Air Corps includes activities such as Maritime Surveillance, Fishery Protection, Garda Air Support Unit, Ministerial Air Transport, Emergency Aeromedical Service and Air Ambulance The Air Corps trains its own Military Pilot Officers, Military Aircraft Technicians, Military Air Traffic Controllers, Air Photographers and General Service personnel. Air Corps personnel may serve overseas as mandated by Government. 2. THE AIR CORPS TRAINEE MILITARY AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN PROGRAMME The purpose of the Air Corps Trainee Military Aircraft Systems Technician programme is to provide military aircraft technicians for the Irish Air Corps. The programme offers successful candidates the opportunity of becoming an efficient and disciplined member of the Air Corps The trainee technician undergoes full basic military training and passes out as a 3-Star soldier prior to commencing their technical training. This is a unique opportunity for an individual who has an interest in military training to also pursue a career in aviation maintenance. The initial military training affords the trainee technician an opportunity to develop skills which are applicable to the aircraft maintenance environment such as discipline, self-reliance, teamwork and working to exacting standards. The system of training is of the highest standard, and the training programme in the Air Corps Technical Training School has been developed to provide ab initio technical training. The programme offers successful candidates the opportunity to become an efficient and disciplined member of the Air Corps. The programme is aimed at meeting the current and future employment needs of the Air Corps by providing graduates with a Level 7 Degree. The programme offers an interdisciplinary approach whichin the students obtain a mix of technological and operational skills specifically related to Irish Military aviation requirements.