Bismark, you confirm my point. The capacity of the pipeline seems to have been the driver for recruits. I know there has always been an 'in to Service' quota for each trade and branch but with the pipe varying in length from a few months to 3 years there was little scope for stopping output by closing the inlet tap.
Shutting the inlet and outlet taps 3 years ago was the only way to stop it but of course everyone in the pipe was then in the hold. Your point that the pipe should have been drained and flow reduced to a trickle is valid.
Of course a large pipe with a continual input of students needs to run at capacity to produce the lowest cost per trainee.
But that large pipe has meant a disproportionately high number of staff in training billets which denuded the front line of experience which demanded more recruits to replace them.