Aircraft engineer welcomed to Culdrose under new scheme

Alison Houghton, 39, from Falmouth, has joined the service as a petty officer air engineering technician after 18 years working as a contractor at Culdrose.

Alison said: "It felt like the right thing to do.

"I know the aircraft already – that's the easy bit.

"The hardest thing is remembering that I am not in my civilian role anymore."

This process, known as a 'zig-zag pathway', recognises that people who have worked in the private sector can already have many of the skills required by the Royal Navy.

Alison began her career two decades ago with a degree in aircraft engineering and later joined Culdrose as a fitter’s mate for Serco, working on depth maintenance of Merlin helicopters.

She said: "Over the next 18 years I rose to become a senior supervisor and I was working on Merlins the whole time."

As a naval reservist, she had already completed basic training at HMS Raleigh and only required a few weeks of additional preparation before joining 824 Naval Air Squadron.

The squadron’s air engineering officer, Lieutenant Commander Chris ‘Paddy’ Ashdown, said: "I am really excited by the zig-zag course pathway.

"There's a lot of talent out there to be employed and it was great to interview Alison.

"She has the experience of working on Merlin and she's gone through a training pipeline at Serco.

"That means she's worked her way up to supervisor, so she understands what it is like for our trainees and understands the role from their perspective.

"She's already got leadership skills and she can bring her experience of working in depth, and we can learn from that too.

"She’s going to be invaluable with her maintenance knowledge and a great help to my management team."

824 Naval Air Squadron serves as a training unit for both engineers and aircrew and remains on high readiness to respond to incidents in UK waters.

The Merlin Helicopter Force specialises in anti-submarine warfare, airborne surveillance and control, and maritime patrol.