We've been told for years that the UK is chronically short of engineers of all disciplines.
What is happening now is that engineers are finally starting to get the pay they deserve. For too long "Engineer" was a catch-all term used to describe anything from a brainbox who designs Space Shuttles to the bloke who looks after the local school (or "Jani" as we called it where I'm from, short for Janitor which is what said occupation was called in the old days). I think nowadays things are starting to change.
There are lots of apprenticeships and graduate programmes appearing out there with very good pay and Ts & Cs and good job security, way in excess of the paltry airlines' offers to pilots who can't seem to guarantee any job security. How anyone can live with that is beyond me.
I did an engineering apprenticeship at a factory straight from school and joined my present company at 23. I didn't do any University Degree. I was on £25k upon walking in the door, 6 years on I am on over double that. My job is as secure as secure can be nowadays, 34 days' leave per year, 6 months' full sick pay, brilliant pension and various assorted benefits. Plus the job is interesting and most days I enjoy it.
Ryanair or Easyjet certainly wouldn't offer me anything like that, plus to even have a chance of getting there I'd have to be sitting in a 6-figure sum of debt. A complete no-brainer.
Hanging around the various gliding and flying clubs I frequent, the number of Engineers is quite incredible. All have a total passion for flying, are professional in attitude and would make superb fulltime pilots. However all reached the same conclusion as me - designing, installing, maintaining and fixing stuff is a way more secure way of looking after your family than selling your sould to Ryanair.