The RN trained their Artificer apprentices from scratch and upon graduation they are/were equivalent rank to Navy P.O. or in the other services, Sergeant. I say "were" because the last of the Tiffys passed out of training in 2010.
In the RAF we also trained for three years and while most of us managed to graduate as Junior Technicians (Able Seaman) with accelerated promotion to Corporal (Leading Seaman), it took another four years to make Sergeant. So, as you point out gr4techie , the RAF got us on the cheap. [At least we never got seasick and slept in a bed every night.]