chevv, Gonzo,
Problem goes back years. I remember in '87 one of our guys took up an instructor's post at Hurn. He told us: Big question at college - failure rate too high, how can we get better candidates? Some bright spark suggested that instead of going for degrees they grab all the 'anoraks' on the roof of Queen's Building at Heathrow listening to ATC on scanners . As long as they had O Levels in maths and English they would be just the job. Did management listen? Do they ever listen to the people at the coal face? No, they listened instead to HR luvvies and various recruitment consultants. Result? = keen, dedicated aviation enthusiasts turned away, people with degrees in underwater basket-weaving welcomed with open arms = appalling failure rate.
So what can we do to get it through the numbskulls of the polcy makers and selectors?