Pilot Apprenticeships

[rotorfossil]

You may have read of the UK government support for apprenticeships has been extended to companies supporting similar schemes for people wishing to become commercial pilots.
However when contacted, the Scottish Government under its devolved powers has decided not to support the idea. Evidently the provision of pilots for North Sea oil support is not considered important, or I suppose it thinks there aren't many votes in it or is this being cynical?

[Dan the weegie]

I agree with the Scottish government that as a tax payer I do not want people being trained for jobs that do not exist or have an over supply of candidates for. Apprenticeships should be for professions we actually need more skilled people in and not imported workers.

There are plenty of Scottish fixed wing and Rotary pilots waiting for jobs, i can't see the benefit in paying for more.

[Dan the weegie]

Although I'm no fan of Scotland

Odd thing to say really. Scotland, I can say with absolute authority is entirely indifferent about you :).

It's a nice place, you should visit it some time (Go North of Perth) - you might be surprised.

[jez d]

They'll get a subsidised course and qualification, no job and will end up flipping burgers

Extraordinary attitudes on display here.

An apprenticeship is an apprenticeship because the apprentice is apprenticed to an airline, geddit? It is highly unlikely that an airline will go to the trouble and expense of offering an apprenticeship scheme if they're only training them for multi-crew burger flipping ops. Therefore it will become one of the most secure ways of gaining an airline job.

Second, the biggest barrier to entry to the industry isn't one of ability, it's one of ability to pay. Any scheme that will make student loans available to student pilots, and also likely include the removal the VAT from the training fee, is to be congratulated, not scoffed at, in my opinion.

[Libertine Winno]

The VAT is the biggest issue here for me. If they were to remove that from the training costs then all of a sudden it becomes far more obtainable for the average Joe like me who doesnt have access to the funds via rich mummy & daddy.