clr4takeoff
I understand what you are saying about the fact that in Canada you have to pay. Maybe you should start complaining!!
Just because one countries ATCOs have to pay does not mean that it is right or proper for NATS to do so - from Jerrichos post (number 35 in this thread), one getrs the impression that the Canadian system is not exactly one to emulate anyway!!
That fact is that cost of living in the UK is very high. The college does not provide student accomodation (even at reduced rates in the manner that university does).
The college is based in Bournemouth on the English 'Riviera' again not cheap. The college itself if a few miles out of town with no regular public transport links hence the need for a car or bike.
Joe public in the UK (and I will wager in most other countries) does not have a clue about what an ATCO does - we either wave table tennis bats in the air, or stare at computers all day whilst the 'heroes' in the cockpit do the hard work(!).
NATS is crap at projecting to the public the reality of a career as an ATCO - the
PR department is either useless, or more likely, has its hands tied by a management which is increasingly anti ATCO/ATSA/ATCE.
For Paul Barron et al to turn round and cite the airlines and the fact that people pay for a pilots licence is tosh. Little Jane and Johnny grow up thinking 'I want to be a nurse/pilot/vet' etc - they have not got a clue about ATC and therefore no aspiration to do it.
The fact is that until ATC is a recognised skill, and until the myth about what pilots do compared to ATCOs is broken, then people will not want to pay for training in the UK in the numbers that NATS is trying to recruit (i.e. about 50 to 60 students a term).
This is even more prevalant when the reason that NATS is taking on so many students per term becomes apparent - not because we suddenly need a huge increase inATCOs at units, but because we expect such a large failure rate!!
Again, back to Jerrichos post - I agree entirely with him - almost anyone can obtain a pilots licence by throwing money and time at it, a hell of a lot less can pass ATCO training given the required timescales and training regime.