I’ve got the article here.
The bit you refer to is:
“Many [commercial pilots] are due to retire and fewer ex-military pilots are retraining for commercial work, with the result that the industry faces a shortage of skilled pilots in the near future”
The article is in the careers section of the Daily Express. It is not an advert, although it is positive about the easyJet sponsorship scheme. I doubt that they would actually welcome many more applicants, as I they seem to be over-subscribed and the numbers of places are limited.
I guess you need to read the quote carefully, and note the words “skilled pilots” and “near future”. It does not claim there is a present shortage, nor does it claim there will be a shortage of pilots. If the quotes came from CTC (and it doesn’t actually say where the claim originated), they are probably worth heeding as they have no incentive to stoke the demand.
Ho, there’s a debate. I pick up the consensus here that:
• There has never been a shortage of licence holders
• But every now and then, there is a shortage of experienced commercial pilots
• So newly qualified fATPLs have an easy step into their first ‘proper job’
• But the rest of the time we struggle to bridge the gap between licence issue and credibility as a professional
Personally, I think the CTC McAlpine sponsorship scheme is ace – for the few who can get onto it. It sorts out the 2 great problems that face the wannabe – inability to pay for training and need for employment once the training is over.
For the majority, either ineligible to apply or not successful in the selection, it’s the same old story: spend money we cannot afford and then fight over jobs not within our reach.