Originally Posted by
Blacksheep
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.]
I have had this discussion before over promotion speed but with the technical branches of the Army. I don't know about the RN but the Army speed up the ladder was dictated by most of them having to leave at age 40. This meant that to give the high flyers chance to get to WO1 by retirement they were promoted quicker than the RAF who, barring acts of god, could stay until they were 55.
As a normal graduate, I passed out from Locking as an 18 year old J/T, Cpl. at 21, SGT. at 25 and Chf/Tech. at 30. Theoretically this gave me 7 years to "get my crown", I didn't, but there were some that did. There were a handful of brainy ones who passed out as 18 year old Cpl.s and were Chf/Tech.s at 27 and easily made Flt/Sgt by their mid 30s.