Blacksheep, the ATPL or CPL accreditation available nowadays is vastly more generous than hitherto. It was introduced under the JAA obligation which requires national authorities to give due recognition to skill and experience gained during military service, but was prinicpally a recruiting and retention incentive.
Recruiting - it will attract people who would otherwise go elsewhere.
Retention - it will retain them until they have provided an acceptable return on the RAF's original investment, rather than leaving at an earlier stage.