Cathay Pacific recruits engineering graduates for a programme that teaches technical and commercial aspects
Engineering graduates have the opportunity to launch a career in aviation with Hong Kong-based international airline Cathay Pacific. Engineering students do not receive any specific aviation training during their studies so the carrier launched an engineering trainee programme 20 years ago.
Choosing from 800 to 1,000 applications, the yearly intake ranges from five to eight trainees on average, with graduates working for Cathay Pacific or its subsidiary Dragonair.
The programme recruits fresh engineering graduates or those who have one to two years of working experience. Up to 70 per cent of the applicants are from local universities, such as the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which have related engineering courses.
'We only recruit graduates with proper engineering training during their tertiary studies,' said Darryl Chan, head of engineering at Dragonair. 'Trainees need to have a basic foundation in order to enhance their learning during the programme.'
Other than academic requirements, applicants need to possess excellent communication and language skills, including English, Cantonese and Putonghua. A good sense of business management is sought and applicants need to be able to work as part of a team and be good leaders.