Currently working in central Europe where the students dont get paid much... but, depending on personal circumstance, it is a a liveable wage... just. Price of beer helps at about A$1.0 a pint though. Thought the studes were hard done by... Then I remembered my Airways experience where the studes pay towards their initial ATC training. In my humble opinion, not paying your "staff" during training does not help to aid recruitment. And when you consider that the students are required to pilot the tower sim for each other, they appear at times to be actually paying for the priveledge to work for Airways Tc by providing a valuable & essential service during their own training! Not good! In many parts of the world, professional trained & standardised & competent employees are paid to do this. How many times has an exercise been complicated by inept piloting I wonder?
Additionally I understand that some Towers do not require a procedural approach rating - yet if a student passes his tower training and then fails the procedural approach element he/she fails completely and departs. Would it not be better to let some go through to said towers, gain some experience, and knowledge, and then do the procedural approach elements of the App course later on? Some may still fail but you would get some bums on seats in the meantime (if of course you need them at these non procedural towers in the first place).
Just my $2 worth
Good luck to all involved in the training system down there.
Regards
DogGone
