Ayr-in-your-jockstrap,
I sympathise completely with your position. I am afraid when it comes to people in the ATSA grade, management have no concern about your fears or doubts. They will ignore the situation then when forced to, prevaricate and deliberately mislead you until the technical solution has been found then you will be dumped. This is nothing personal and I am sure that in a few years as tecnology progresses atcos will find themselves in the same position. Heres a radical solution!, there is or will be a surplus of ATSAs so instead of recruiting new staff from outside nats why not give the surplus ATSAs a go at becoming controllers if they so wish. They surely cannot do any worse than the existing students, after all controlling is hardly rocket science is it.