Aircraft Mechanic (A&P) Apprenticeships in Illinois

Browse the apprenticeship opportunities on this page — they're organized by state and city. Each one is an on-the-job-training role with a certified A&P or Part 145 repair station where you log experience toward your A&P certificate; open any listing to see its pay, location, and how to connect.

One path is supervised on-the-job training: log the practical experience required under 14 CFR 65.77 under a certificated mechanic, document it (FAA Form 8610-2), then pass the FAA written, oral, and practical tests (14 CFR 65.75).

No degree or A&P school is required to start. To be certificated, the FAA requires you to be at least 18 and able to read, write, speak, and understand English (14 CFR 65.71); you earn the experience itself by logging supervised on-the-job training under a certificated mechanic (14 CFR 65.77).

Under 14 CFR 65.77, you need at least 18 months of documented practical experience for a single rating (Airframe or Powerplant), or 30 months working both at the same time, under a certificated mechanic — then you pass the FAA written, oral, and practical tests.

Boeing built a $200 million factory at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, to produce the U.S. Navy's MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy's first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Beyond that, FAA-certified maintenance shops across Illinois offer on-the-job training where you can log experience toward your A&P certificate under 14 CFR 65.77.

No. Some of the FAA-approved Part 147 aviation maintenance schools in Illinois include Lewis University (Romeoville), Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Lincoln Land Community College (Springfield), Southwestern Illinois College (Granite City). You don't have to attend one — the FAA also recognizes documented on-the-job training under 14 CFR 65.77 as a path to A&P eligibility.

An on-the-job training (apprenticeship) role doesn't require you to already hold an A&P certificate — it's supervised work where you log experience toward it. Every opportunity listed here is that kind of OJT role, and each listing shows the shop's pay and terms.

The opportunities listed above are on-the-job training roles offered by maintenance shops; pay and terms are set by each shop and shown on the individual listing.