As an engineer I would say the standards are still high but there is no denying that experience levels have been shot to pieces recently.
The calibre of people coming in that I've seen I would say is no different to what it was ten years ago and generally of a good standard although there will always be those that make you despair.
The training they recieve is also still good. Unfortunatly it's not in depth enough but that argument has been going for a while.
The other big problem is the amount of manpower actually on the squadrons. If the work is to be done properly then you'll not get all the jets you want. If you get all the jets you want chances are not all the work has been done properly. Fact of life at the moment.
And I am talking from experience.