Glojo,
If we are having RAF pilots deploy onto US carriers for the full deployments, lerarning the full skills of operating from the decks of these carriers including night flying etc then hats off to them. The shore based operational RAF squadrons are arguably an expensive way to use those resources and why not have them operate from carriers but of course retain one for the duties you have outlined. Far better to deploy from a fully equipped mobile airfield as opposed to what we saw over Libya?
The RAF and RN have been exchanging for years and years. Lets take the RAF then... they have had conventional carrier exchanges at no less than 3 US Naval Service bases for a large number of years. In fact, a recently retired 4* officer was also an exchange officer who had carrier experience. The problem has been that, until the sudden change from the -B to the -C, conventional UK carrier ops was nothing but a long forgotten myth of the 1970s Cold War era when folk talked of angled decks, steam catapults, jets that were as heavy as the ship but still got airborne, the Buccaneer, the Buccaneer and...oh, yes, the Buccaneer! So, those exchange officers with carrier expertise came back in the 80s, 90s and 'noughties' with no platform to continue their newly-acquired skill. So, back to their old jet and bravo old bean.
18 months ago the unthinkable happened. The UK actually wanted an angled deck, special electric catapults....you get my drift right?! Anyway, many people thought that Britain's Navy would once again be a huge maritime player on the World stage with our two 65,000kg wonderous carriers and a bunch of amazing stealth jets: Awesome indeed! But, it proved to be a tease. We are now left licking our wounds because we're back where we began before that glimmer of hope came our way. People are upset, and some shall forever haunt these forums to speak of the F-35C with a fondness comparable to the Buccaneer, but it shall, alas, never be....
So, Glojo, the skills that the current exchange
pilots are getting are not directly transferable to the ramped QEC. That said, their knowledge and experience of the big deck environment and of being on a bigger carrier; the pace of life; the sights, sounds and smells etc, are all relevant and very transferable. However, from a pure piloting perspective, the best place right now to 'keep one's hand in' would be either flying the F-35B in the USA or flying the AV-8B with the USMC. STOVL Ops are where we're headed.