Totally agree Jayand
Additionally there were RAF apprentices that passed out as JT after 3 years (Dual trade Airframe Engines) and were promoted to CPL after one.....
The other was the supertech who passed out after 5 years with (4 or 5 trades.. Airframe, Engines, Electrics and Radio I think ) and was passed out a Cpl on leaving training...
We were all trade group 1 and the highest paid trade group in the RAF... Avionics etc was trade group 2 and a JT was on more than a corporal in some of the lower trades, they used to publish the paybands for all to see.