H&H, you have to think that some people were saying similar things when Aircraft Apprentices stopped being taught Coppersmithing and wire rigging too. (The end of the Walrus?). Training has to be changed at some point to move with developing technologies, but there will always be a need to pay attention to what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. What we used to call ‘airmanship’ (I’m not sure if that would be specialistship, now?) The lack of attention/awareness in changing a heavily corroded plug set is/was a deplorable instance of the mindset of some individuals that are/were allowed to work on aircraft.
Cosford trains those given to it, to whatever levels apparently required today…. i.e. for a digital fleet of non-conventionally controlled aircraft. Remember that many RAF maintenance staff never moved off the Tornado fleet - and most could not recognise an aileron when they actually saw one (true!). However, once out in the real world these newbies are then subjected to “We do it this way, here” by their mentors and superiors - and that traditional training is the “combat era” style of maintenance that has been going on for the last 30+ medal-generating years. The MAA tend not to recognise what goes on in spite of their regulations and engos are either oblivious to those practices or merely happy with their readiness states.