RAF Air Operations Control Officer - Full Time Career with Apprenticeship

Royal Air Force

London (WC1N 1NP)

Closes in 13 days (Friday 1 August 2025)

Posted on 7 August 2024


Summary

A unique opportunity to complete an apprenticeship as a RAF Air Operations Control Officer, 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 UKs defence. With over 35 places available across the year, Apply today!

Wage

£33,100 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Pay after 3 years service and promotion to the rank of Flt Lt - £50,500

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

48 hours a week

Start date

Saturday 2 August 2025

Duration

3 years

Positions available

35

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Where you'll work

London
WC1N 1NP

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

ROYAL AIR FORCE

Training course

Air traffic controller (level 5)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

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

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

About this employer

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

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

ROYAL AIR FORCE

0345 6055555

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000269986.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Friday 1 August 2025)

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