I would wish that the FOs joining airlines had a much higher proficiency. I am sometimes in complete disarray when I see a set of almost panicking eyes to my right, when I propose a visual into a beautiful island airport with severe cavok threatening for the next few days. They only come back to normal life when you take controls for a few moments to allow them to set up the FMS for a 5 mile parallel downwind leading into a 10 mile final and the ILS underlying as back-up.
Amen to that. Times were that a visual approach was a relaxation of stress levels and a bit of a buzz, even fun, for all concerned. In my latter years on the line, I saw - with some surprise at first, but then with increasing alarm - that for most FOs, far from being fun, (even with the Old Fart as PF), a visual approach was an expediential INCREASE in stress levels.
I made so bold as to fly an ILS manually (before such 'high risk behaviour' was banned by my company) with a reported cloud base of 700'. (Before someone screams 'you shouldn't have done that in such conditions' - Colombo, no other traffic, good and trustworthy ATC and Met reporting.) My (Brit) FO was damn near squirming out of his seat before - I'm sure, to his utter surprise - the bloody runway appeared, right where it was expected, in the windscreen at 699'.
I have friends of my own (old) age who will argue that maximum use of automation at all times is the only way to go, but I think they're missing the point. If it's CAVOK and the traffic is light, manual flying should not just be permitted, it should be encouraged.
When it was allowed, I used to make myself do at least one raw data, no auto throttle approach a month. In my experience, those who did this didn't need to, while the opposite applied, almost without exception, to those who didn't.
It might happen just once in a forty year career - but it only takes once - when the automatics let you down. Every pilot owes it to himself to have developed - and maintained - the skills that will allow him to cope with that highly unusual situation.