Hi Alan I
Yes, I concur with you. It seems that certificates is what is required these days and not true hand skills and real aviation knowledge, but according to the the survey results, it seems that it's only going to be a matter of time before the current lowered standards cause problems.
From my own experience so far, I can see clearly that those veterans who have gone through a thorough apprenticeship in their younger days, with plenty of practical and then studying for exams are of a superior cut than those trained in a class room with little hand skills.
But then again, it is not really the fault of the student, since many of them fork out a large sum to train up and are really being short-changed.
At any rate, I shall continue in my mission to advocate for change in AME training back to the real, workable way, before an entire body of knowledge is lost. A bit like shipbuilding.