I understand what you're getting at, and I think we might be agreeing with each other.
My point was, BAE are not matching the going rate that you see elsewhere in those types of jobs. Jet 2 paying £42,000 for mechs fresh out their apprenticeship is a far cry from BAE who are paying around £10,000 less than that for the same level of experience. Until only 2 years ago, the typical starting salary out of the apprenticeship was £26,000. It's not until you get to a more supervisory position, that £42,000 is attainable in a reasonable timeframe. It's perhaps the main reason for the high level of staff turnover, at least on the shop floor in my experience.