AS RNAS Culdrose celebrates 75 years, Serco, the international provider of services to governments, is still looking for apprentices to carry out maintenance on Merlin Helicopters.

The base, which is located in Helston, is one of the largest single-site employers in Cornwall, and contributes £100million to the Cornish economy every year.

When the base started 75 years ago, it originally planned to last only ten years, but still continues to play an important role in the Royal Navy's operational capability, with Serco providing aircraft engineering and airfield support.

Serco is a leading provider of public services, they operate internationally across five sectors and four geographies, Defence, Justice and Immigration, Transport, Health and Citizen Services delivered in UK and Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Rachael Stevenson, Serco contract director at RNAS Culdrose, said: "We employ around 300 engineers at RNAS Culdrose, all working to ensure the safe arrival, turnaround and departure of aircraft at the base.

"This includes a wide range of people such as ex-naval personnel, those who have been working on Merlin helicopters for years, as well as the younger people who learn on the job as part of an apprenticeship.

"The apprentices have such an important role to play. Working with our experienced engineers, they get hands-on with the helicopters quite quickly, and their skills and enthusiasm help to energise the whole team. We were awarded a new contract at the base last year, so we can continue to develop the next generation of aircraft engineers for years to come, which is very satisfying."

The apprentices join from local schools and colleges, and Serco is increasingly seeing more women apply to what is traditionally a male dominated field.

One of these is Rosie Walker, who is completing her aeronautical engineers apprenticeship. She said: "I chose the apprenticeship because I was very interested in aviation and ideally wanted to stay living in Cornwall, so it was perfect.

"As well as getting on-the-job experience and working towards an NVQ in engineering, it's really allowed me to develop my technical knowledge. I also made it to the national finals of the WorldSkills UK Aeronautical engineering (Mechanical) competition, which was a massive confidence boost and helped me develop my skills even further."

Whilst Rosie continues her development on site, she also takes time to encourage even more students into her field. "I went to Truro High School for Girls and spent the day teaching the theory of flight for planes and helicopters. I got them to make paper helicopters and aeroplanes and held a competition to see who would have the best flight for each category. It was a real highlight of my time here."

Applications for the Apprenticeship scheme at RNAS Culdrose are still open and will close on June 10. More information can be found at www.serco.com/uk/careers/apprenticeships

Serco are also on Twitter @SercoGroup