Having been in this job for nearly 30 years, there has always been staff shortages, there still is at the major unit where I work,and I am not having a go at anybody for training somebody.
The point I am trying to raise is, that if we as ojti,s continue to accecpt the pittance we are paid for training ( thats your license and career on the line not your trainees) Nats will make no endeavour to increase your training pay.Lets impose flow restrictions, shut down sectors, until the the airlines of which some are our owners start to complain about the lack of cotrollers and the reasons why.Like the airlines do , pay the training staff a monthly payment for the task and not as we get a quartly bonus payment.
Finally, what does Nats acheive by bringing controllers in from another country if there is nobody to train them