Originally Posted by
SlopJockey
Apparently a lack of Engineers is one of the underlying causes for delays in the fg trg system:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...aining-crisis/
Would any current or ex mil aircraft engineers join now considering the current "offer"?
Many things that were attractive and contributed massively to quality of life have been eroded; pay, pension, level of trg, sport, AT, accommodation or removed, overseas postings replaced by OOA ops, and one might say you will not miss what you've never had but without assessing and addressing or in that horrendous more recent parlance,
taken learnings how it is really being fixed?
I have not read the Torygraph article as I too am not a subscriber.
"Would any current or ex mil aircraft engineers join now considering the current "offer"?"
My general advice to those UK youngsters who ask me is 1) be very cautious about going into degree-level* engineering roles in the armed forces (or associated bits of the civil service); 2) be very cautious about considering a life based on an engineering career within the UK (and I point out that getting outside the UK is now very much harder than it once was).
The ones who do ask me tend to be most interested in RAF or RN. My observation is that after talking it through with me, most tend to set aside the armed forces, but nonetheless to still study an engineering degree - either with an intent to then leave the UK, or to leave engineering. So far none who have asked me have gone on to study engineering at university and then to subsequently join the forces, which makes me think that by the time they have graduated they have formed even clearer views of the unattractiveness of the 'offer'.
The ones who I have watched go into the associated bits of the civil service tend to be attracted by the unsackability combined with not having to wear a uniform/etc and go anywhere dangerous/etc, plus not actually being the best of the crop (because real industry takes those). I am sure there are exceptions, but those are my observations.
* I give different advice at non-degree skilled trades levels. Frankly the quality of the skilled engineering trades education 'offer' in the UK is so poor that almost the only place to go is within the armed forces. That also says a lot about engineering in the UK.
I give different advice to non-UK youngsters. For example to the US-youngsters I say "go for it".