Aria Janow graduated from SOSS in 2014 and took the Women In Trades program at Okanagan College. During that three-month course, she began job shadowing at Cherry Lane Auto and would come home dirty and tired and beaming!
All the automotive programs at the time had waiting lists but there was an opening in the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering program at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek. This is a fifteen month program followed by approximately two years of apprenticeship during which time at least 70% of a log book of services needs to be recorded and a regulations test written. The end result is Aircraft Maintenance Engineer status. Aria put in long hours in her program but also found time to become a residence advisor and a member of the student council. She thought she wouldn’t make it a couple times but graduated with one of the top marks in the 30 year history of the program at NLC.
Three days after graduating, Aria began her apprenticeship at AerSpace Aviation which is located at the Pitt Meadows airport. Women make up only 6.3% of the AMEs working in Canada* and she’s the only female apprentice at the airport. Aria works with a very supportive team and is fortunate to have an excellent mentor as her PRM (Person Responsible for Maintenance). Her proudest moment to date is when she successfully replaced an impossibly located hydraulic motor on a Bellanca Viking. Her favourite part of the industry is the attention to detail. “It’s about methodical examination for any and all faults that can arise in the aircraft’s future and how to prevent them before an accident occurs.” Aria’s advice to others considering the trade is “Patience is everything and that goes from the work itself to customer diplomacy and deadlines, to patience with yourself and your own skills. The skills take a lot of time to develop and you’ve got to be really kind to yourself because they do come eventually – I’m just seeing that myself!”
* http://thethunderbird.ca/2016/03/30/women-in-aviation-work-to-change-gender-imbalance/
Photo and story contributed by Corinne Janow (proud mother)