One thing that sticks out to me, is that no one wants to help with your training.... I have over 12 years of large aircraft experience in the RAF a good apprenticeship & all of my B1 & B2 modules done, and recent heavy maint experience on Boeing & Airbus aircraft. I am just waiting on time now before I can apply for my licences.
But no one is interested in that, they want type rated experienced engineers NOW, not soon, but NOW! I can understand that they have a business need, but surley I must be a good bet for a company that needs to replace engineers in the future, as they get the chance to train me to their systems & build knowledge before being let loose certifying aircraft?
A colleague I recently worked with paid for his own type rating on a new licence, then a few days later was employed by an Irish airline
immediatley, with no training or anything other than the basic quality checks, as he had all the right bits of paper, and the bare minimum required type experience to be granted the licence!! He even admitted he was way out of his depth, but had to muddle through as the sole B1 engineer on shift!
What I see is a reflection of the pilot situation, where no one will take responsibiliy for training, then moan that standards are dropping
...
I just hope all the efforts so far will pay off in the long term, and engineers will start getting a bit more respect for the job they do!