There has been a lot of talk recently about the shortage of engineers, interestingly including an article in flight international last year predicting that engineers salaries will increase to that of the captains due to the shortage in the near future.
I'm quite sure that the CAA and JAA have spent a lot of time thinking about this.
Now, I may be parenoid but it appears simple to me that if you want more engineers then you just make it easier to become one.
I know there's been many discussions about who's license is better and so on, and I don't want to bring that up again, but I will bring up one point.
Under BCAR removing negative marking and oral exams have made the licenses easier to pass. Also allowing you to bank more and re-sit earlier make for more engineers.
Now look at the American engineers. I've worked with some good, and some poor engineers, (like anywhere) but when a training school can GUARANTEE an A&P license in a month or less than it dumbs down the whole industry. I don't know what the money in America is like now but a few years ago it was terrible. Not because the engineers are not good, but because the license is devalued.
It seems obvious that the reason the JAA was based on the FAA was for future integration.
Will this mean that our Licenses will be integrated, I think it does. JAA=FAA.
Easier license = more engineers = lower wages
Please tell me I'm wrong.
