30 years ago, a school leaver with two A-levels was one of the academic elite. Every Direct Entrant was part of the cream.
University graduates were even rarer fish.
Today, even the laziest, thickest, mediocrity can attain a pair of A-levels, while even a degree is not the indicator that two A-levels once were.
And at this very time (when non graduate level people arguably ought to be rejected out of hand) the Royal Air Force is looking to decrease the proportion of graduate aircrew entrants, and to increase the proportion of DEs.
And I'd suggest that many of today's 21 year olds are less mature, less ready to absorb training, and some are less able to 'fit in' as grown ups in a crewroom than yesterday's school leavers. And why should they be? Most of them haven't been allowed the freedom and independence that their predecessors had, and have been cosseted and spoiled by over-protective parents.
The Brass keep insisting that DE's absorb training better, that they reach squadrons younger, and give greater return on service. But the real reason is that PMTC can easily dial in huge holds when the trainee is a youngster, and can camouflage their pi.$$ poor organisational performance .....
There's a place for graduates and DEs in the RAF, I'd have thought. The system of taking a mixture of both 'ain't broke' and doesn't need fixing.