grababadger, nobody is saying that all ab-initio students are incapable. What they are saying is that you lack experience. By your own admission you have basically implied that you are too inexperienced to apply for a licence. That’s a wise decision.
Secondly, the ‘old school’ engineer does not feel threatened and annoyed by you so called hard working ex-students. Why would he? You are mechanic with only 2 years experience, whereas he on the other hand, has been turning the tools for a good number of years and has established a sound reputation for himself. You both apply for the same job, I know who I would employ.
What really pisses us engineers off is the fact that you students want everything all at once. The licence, the type ratings and the £40k plus salaries, you want it all now. Only a fool would put somebody like you in a certifying position, you’d be way out of your depth and the consequences of your mistakes could be dire.
I’m sorry but 2 years exams/practical followed by 2-3 years hands on does not equal a proper 4 year apprenticeship. Apprentices spend weeks filing a lump of steel flat and square and working different metals to minute tolerances. They learn to drill, ream and tap holes, use precision measuring equipment and an array of hand tools and undertake structural repairs. They work in bays learning to strip and assemble components from scratch. We are talking months and months of practical experience before they are even let loose on a real aeroplane, not some mickey mouse 10 week OJT placement.
The ‘college of knowledge’ student lacks experience and it shows. Yes they might be capable of changing simple components but when faced with a defect or structural repair they are at a complete loss. Manual dexterity is almost non existent in some. As somebody has previously stated, experience is something you cannot buy. It takes many years to become a competent aircraft maintenance engineer. I know guys who will readily admit they are still learning after 40 odd years in the industry.
I think the colleges are to blame. They are convincing people that they can be earning big bucks as a LAE within a few years of doing their course. As such we are seeing an influx of people into the industry from all manner of different backgrounds.
What you need to do grababadger is drop the attitude. Try telling a 10 year time-served mechanic that he knows sod all compared to you and I’m sure we can all predict the outcome. Humility and an ability to listen and learn from those around you will do wonders for your future. Opportunities will eventually come your way but you must be patient. Remember……don’t run before you can walk!!
End of first post, rant over.