All is rumour, counter-rumour, proposal and speculation at present, but it has apparently been suggested in certain quarters that two Student ATCO courses scheduled for summer 2003, whose members are destined for NERC, are cancelled. This will, it is alleged, save about £50 million in the financial year (quite how the sums add up I can't quite see).
Meanwhile, the validity courses (whatever their acronym is this week) will continue as planned. This will have the long-term beneficial effect of reducing the training backlog at NERC, whilst having the less-beneficial effect of reducing the time that students spend on assistant duties gaining knowledge and experience by osmosis.
Meanwhile the latest NATS propaganda sheet proudly proclaims the vast investment in the new building at Solent Business Park which replaces OKS. It seems to me that NATS has lost track of what it is trying to achieve, prefering to invest in real estate rather than staff. Maybe that's how to get an obscene bonus next year!!!