From vocational baccalaureate to BTS in aeronautics: France's technical routes into maintenance and production

Technicians at the heart of the industry

Much of the aerospace industry's recruitment need concerns technical profiles: mechanics, fitters, wiring technicians, avionics or structures technicians and inspectors. These jobs exist at manufacturers and equipment suppliers as well as in maintenance shops, airlines and the armed forces. Two French national education qualifications structure access to them: the vocational baccalaureate in aeronautics (bac pro) and the BTS in aeronautics, a two-year higher technician diploma.

The bac pro in aeronautics: three options

The vocational baccalaureate in aeronautics takes three years after lower secondary school, or two years for pupils coming from a first-year vocational class or holding a CAP in the same aeronautics speciality. It comes in three options:

• avionics, focused on on-board electrical and electronic systems;
• systems, oriented towards engines and mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems;
• structure, dedicated to the airframe and metallic and composite materials.

According to Onisep, the national careers information body, the work placement period is compulsory for the exam and lasts 20 weeks, spread over the three years for pupils in school. The qualification can also be prepared through apprenticeship.

Career outlets are broad: manufacturers, airlines, maintenance shops, technical service companies, subcontractors and equipment suppliers, as well as public services such as defence or civil protection.

The BTS in aeronautics: higher technician level

The BTS in aeronautics takes two years, in a secondary school or an apprentice training centre. It trains technicians able to manufacture, assemble or maintain aircraft and their equipment, with skills in quality, production organisation and maintenance. Students who are not apprentices complete a work placement of 8 to 12 weeks.

Entry is mainly after a technological (STI2D), general or aeronautics vocational baccalaureate, on the basis of an application file, sometimes with tests or an interview. Graduates work in aircraft or equipment production, or in maintenance, and can move on to engine makers, equipment suppliers or design offices.

The BTS is above all a qualification designed for entry into employment, but it is not a ceiling. Onisep lists several further study options: a professional bachelor's degree, a bachelor's in engineering sciences, parallel admission to engineering schools, an ATS preparatory class, or ENAC's airline pilot entrance exam.

School diploma and regulatory qualification

In civil maintenance, these diplomas fit alongside the European regulatory framework. The job of a technician authorised to release an aircraft to service relies on a maintenance licence issued under its own knowledge and experience requirements. Many institutions therefore combine the national education diploma with modules recognised within that framework, which speeds up access to responsibility in the shop. Candidates should check, institution by institution, exactly what the course covers.

The qualities employers look for

Beyond technical knowledge, employers stress qualities specific to the sector: rigour, strict adherence to procedures, a sense of traceability and the ability to work in a team. In a maintenance shop as on an assembly line, every operation is documented and checked. Command of technical English, the language of aviation documentation, is also a major asset.

Progressive pathways

The strength of these routes lies in their progression. A young person can start with a CAP or a bac pro, specialise with a BTS, then continue to a professional bachelor's degree or engineering school, often through work-study. The campus des métiers et des qualifications dedicated to aeronautics focus precisely on making these bridges easy to understand.

For companies, these qualifications are the main pool of technicians. Taking on interns and apprentices from bac pro level onwards remains one of the most effective ways of securing recruitment in shortage occupations.