RAF Air Traffic & Weapons Controller - Full Time Career with Apprenticeship

Royal Air Force

Chatham, ME4 4SJ

Closes on Friday 1 August

Posted on 7 August 2024

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Summary

A unique opportunity to complete an apprenticeship as a RAF Air Traffic & Weapons Controller, with an Ofsted outstanding training provider. You'll be working with some of the most advanced technology and aircraft in the world and play a key part in the UK's defence. With over 50 places available across the year, Apply today!

Annual wage
£25,200 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Initial Annual Pay £25,200 Annual Pay after completion of Specialist Training £40,000

Training course
Air traffic controller (level 5)
Hours
Shifts to be confirmed on assignment to your first station after training.

48 hours a week

Possible start date

Saturday 2 August

Duration

3 years

Positions available

50

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

The specialisation of Air Traffic & Weapons Controller is part of the Air & Space Ops Profession within the RAF, which also includes Air and Space Operations Specialists, Air Cartographers and Firefighters.

Air Traffic & Weapons Controller is a diverse, exciting and complex role which directs and supports operations both in the UK and around the world. Primarily, your job will be to control military aircraft whilst leading and managing a team of fellow Air and Space Operations specialists.

As a member of the Royal Air Force, you could find yourself operating from a field, a bunker, a building, a tent, from the back of a plane or even an aircraft carrier. Regardless, you will be part of a varied and stimulating organisation which offers an excellent career and worldwide employment opportunities that is at the heart of the RAF’s flying output.

There are three key employment areas you could find yourself working in:

  • Terminal Air Traffic Control, providing Air Traffic Control services to aircraft operating at or near RAF stations around the world.
  • Weapons Control, where you’ll direct and control fast jet aircraft to intercept potentially hostile aircraft that threaten UK Airspace or in complex air-to-air exercises.
  • Area Control, working alongside civilian air traffic controllers at the UK’s Air Traffic Control Centre at Swanwick, where you will control military aircraft across the country by radar.

You will be able to set preferences for the location and type of employment you would like to undertake and there is also the opportunity to undertake roles outside of your specialisation.

Within your first few years, you will get the opportunity to deploy overseas in support of the RAF’s mission.

Where you’ll work

Chatham

ME4 4SJ

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

ROYAL AIR FORCE

Your training course

Air traffic controller (level 5)

Equal to higher national diploma (HND)

Course contents
  • Safety: Comply with Health & Safety obligations as an employee and as an air traffic controller
  • Safety: Escalate safety concerns through the appropriate channels
  • Security: Manage aviation security in own area of operations following organisational procedures to report and react to any breach
  • Planning: Manage planning, problem solving and decision making using knowledge, experience and evolving information. Manage the use and update of situational data displays
  • Planning: Maintain spatial awareness within the designated area of control
  • Compliance & Legislation: Manage compliance with legislation, aviation procedures and regulations within own area of responsibility
  • Communication: Manage communication with users, staff and external agencies, selecting appropriate methods and language
  • Communication: Use correct terminology, context and tools and maintain a safe and effective operation
  • Communication: direct the movement of aircraft
  • Communication: pass effective and pertinent information to aircraft
  • Communication: maintain radio and radar contact with aircraft
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Safely takeover and handover control of the operational position at the start and end of an allocated period of air traffic control
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Assess and respond effectively to light levels of traffic volume and complexity
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Effectively manage difficult and challenging situations and people
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Effectively manage working relationships and interactions between differing types of controllers situated at the same and differing sites (domestic and international)
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Cooperate effectively with other parties to achieve appropriate environmental protections
  • Air Traffic Operations: Effectively Manage Air Traffic using understanding of appropriate theory, experience and current operating directives
  • Service Level Agreements: Manage team and facilities to deliver results according to agreed levels of performance
  • Personal Effectiveness: Undertake responsibilities and accountabilities
  • Personal Effectiveness: Maintain resilience, effectiveness and operational safety when a plan is not followed
  • Personal Effectiveness: Acknowledge and react positively to any errors identified
  • Personal Effectiveness: Recognise and respond appropriately to fatigue. Take responsibility for personal medical fitness to not endanger airspace users when personal effectiveness may be reduced
  • O1: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O1: Demonstrate practical capability as an Area/ Terminal air traffic controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O2: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O2: Demonstrate practical capability as an Approach controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O3: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O3: Demonstrate practical capability as an Approach Procedural controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O4: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O4: Demonstrate practical capability as an Aerodrome controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O5: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O5: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Weapons Controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O6: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O6: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Area Radar Controller to the defined assessment standard and leve
  • O7: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O7: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Terminal Radar Controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O8: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O8: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Terminal Aerodrome Controller to the defined assessment standard and level

Your training plan

Level 5 Air Traffic Controller.

On successful completion of the application and selection process, your apprenticeship will start with a 10-week Basic Recruit Training Course (BRTC) at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. The course is designed to help you adjust to a military environment. As well as fitness and military training, you’ll also learn about the RAF lifestyle.

Following the Basic Recruit Training Course, prospective Sergeants will complete the Direct Entrant Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (DE SNCO) Course at the Aviator Command Squadron (ACS) at RAF Halton. This 8-week training programme will develop the student's knowledge of leadership within the RAF and increase their understanding of their management responsibilities as Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs). The course includes Air Power academic study, Practical Leadership Exercises, an Appraisal Workshop, Interview Techniques and Fitness Development. At the end of the course, students are promoted to Acting Sergeant.

Specialist training is delivered at the Defence College of Air and Space Operations at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire and subsequently for Weapons Controllers at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland.

This training starts with a Foundation Module and is completed alongside Air Operations (Systems) Officers, Air Ops (Control) Officers and Air Traffic & Weapons Controllers. Following successful completion, you will be assigned to a specialist module in one of the core specialisations: Terminal (Airfield) ATC or Weapons Control. Prospective Weapons Controllers will carry out the last part of their training at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland.

You could return at a later date to complete a short conversion course to allow you to undertake roles in the other core areas, including Area Radar control.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

  • any (grade C/4 or above)
  • any (grade C/4 or above)
  • any (grade C/4 or above)
  • English Language (grade C/4 or above)
  • Mathematics (grade C/4 or above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Patience
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

The role is varied and, after training, you could be stationed across the UK and beyond.

About this company

The Royal Air Force work with our UK and international partners to watch the skies, respond to threats, prevent conflict, and provide assistance in an uncertain world. We provide all personnel with a varied range of training and activities to make sure you're ready for anything. A career in the Royal Air Force will provide you with a whole host of possibilities. You will receive world class training, allowing you to learn and develop throughout your career. We recruit throughout the year, so please ignore the closing and start dates.

https://recruitment.raf.mod.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

You will join the RAF as an aviator under an initial 12-year engagement. Following 4 years' service, you will be eligible to apply for an extension of service to complete a Pension Earning Engagement of 20 years' service or age 40, whichever is the latter, during this time.

Entering as a direct entrant Sergeant, competitive promotion to Flight Sergeant is the next step in your career along with more supervisory controlling related roles. As an Air Traffic & Weapons Controller, you will spend most of your career carrying out your primary role as a controller, becoming a subject-matter expert, heavily relied upon by your unit.

Throughout your career you may be selected for advancement to intermediate line management roles, responsible for supervising and guiding the specialists within your team and ensuring their welfare and career management needs are met. You should expect operational deployments of up to 6 months to a range of locations worldwide, in addition to ad-hoc shorter detachments to locations such as Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Lithuania, Japan, Gibraltar, Canada, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and the USA.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

ROYAL AIR FORCE

0345 6055555

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000270044.

Apply now

Closes on Friday 1 August

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

You'll be directed through to the RAF Recruitment Website where more detail on the role is available. We have positions available for this role throughout the year and the process can take a few months. Once you have completed an application you will be invited to complete an aptitude assessment, selection interview, health assessment and a fitness test. More details of the requirement can be found at the application link.