Kim Twine is in her first year of the Air New Zealand Engineering Graduate Programme and shares her career journey so far.
Aviation is in my blood. Four of my immediate family members have walked the path before me in cargo logistics, as cabin crew and as a pilot. It seems I was destined to follow suit. Well… maybe, but I didn’t end up here because I wanted to be like them. I’m here because I want to be a part of a challenging, interesting and ever-changing industry. Not to mention that I’m also fascinated by planes and how such huge pieces of machinery get off the ground.
I graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Engineering with honours (Mechanical) and then spent a year working in the construction industry. This was both a challenge and a huge learning experience. Designing retaining walls, manhole surrounds and pavements was outside what I studied and a far cry from the field I had always dreamed of: aviation. Spending time in this environment made me realise the importance of pursuing my dream career in aviation because I would much rather work with aircraft than timber retaining walls and asphalt. My newly found drive for happiness and everyday career fulfilment sparked me to apply for the Air New Zealand Engineering Graduate Programme.
Air New Zealand Engineering and Maintenance is made up of many teams that work closely together and the graduate programme lets me experience this first hand.
The programme has given me a taste of different aspects of the business both within Engineering and Maintenance and beyond. In the few months I have been here the amount of knowledge I have absorbed has been phenomenal and every day provides new learning and development opportunities. I have been amazed by everyone’s willingness to teach me and tell me about what they do. Air New Zealand has embraced me with open arms and I have been made to feel so welcome.
I’ve enjoyed having exposure to a number of different people, processes and development opportunities through the programme which has given me the best possible start to my career. To date I have been placed in Quality, Data Management and Fleet Interiors and experienced both small and larger scale projects across these teams. The connections I have made through this time have not only fostered my engineering and aviation knowledge, but also my professional and personal development with opportunities to attend networking events, mentoring, social sport and get-togethers.
Looking ahead, I’m excited about forging new opportunities and relationships that will challenge me and progress my career as an engineer.
Learn more about our 2023 opportunities for graduates with Aeronautical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Electrical Engineering degrees. Apply now!