Chevvron.
I agree with paperclip810.
I don't think you can say that standards have dropped purely based upon the qualifications students have. When I joined in Jan ’70 I had only 4 poor grade CSE’s. Remember those ? they were the poor mans GCE. I did three years as an ATCA, got a PPL and was promoted to Cadet.
The last five years of my otherwise lackluster career in ATC was spent in the Training Section of Terminal Control at West Drayton. I dealt with many students all with varying qualifications. Some were obviously very clever with a degree in some science subject. But put these clever people in front of a radar tube in the simulator and some of them hadn’t a clue.
It’s more about aptitude than academic qualifications.
C.