Moira: You are quite right. The training capacity
in many ATC facilities should have been upgraded and
updated years ago to have more capacity, i.e. more throughput.
That is the training system should produce more ATC:s.
I think we can agree on that, can we?
Now that this has not been done, because of monetary
reasons (saving money) many an ATC training system has
come to the limits that the "bums on the seats" are needed
fully to be sitting on the very seats to control the aircraft.
And they can not be taken to train new controllers. The case is not
this dire in many places, but the trend is clear.
So something needs to be done.
It seems quite much that the savings made earlier
will lead to quite high costs now or in the near future.
If we assume that some of the ANSP is so tight on personnel, that they
can not take any ATCO from the seat, then they would have to pay
overtime compensations to get the operative controllers
to do training in their spare time. Or they will have to
buy training from outside, from some training company.
(roughly triple or more the cost compared to in house training)
The question is:
How to get more controllers, since they are needed?
I think we can agree on this also.
It seems quite possible, some attitudes about money
might need adjustment.