Well KM, once an individual has got the minimum necessary qualifications to do the job then I guess that it shouldn't matter what you have beyond that, regards assessment for AfC, unless it's applied unfairly or unless the extra qualifications are absolutely necessary for a specific role i.e training qualification.
I think what I've been talking about is fairness - I don't think dwelling on the qualifications of Technicians is important; just something that I think may motivate Paul and a few others, perhaps, in view of the potential benefits associated with CEng that could seperate the apes from the chimps after AfC.
From my own perspective; after 16 years in this job and putting in some hard work I'm unable to progress because you have to have specialist skills or more commonly have a supervisory role - I have some skills but not those in demand, such as Anaesthetics, Renal or Mechanical Ventilation (the income/savings generators). Never been given the opportunities until recently. As for techncial or academic qualifications; they do not matter a diddly-squat when it comes down to managing people.
I thought AfC might put things to right and recognise individual's skills and experience but instead I think what I will see is individuals with lots less experience and skill take equivalent roles to mine, at higher salaries depending upon how unfair the AfC process is.
After being thrown on the scrap-heap as an MTO3 to, what I think, a dead-end job in a less that reputable private company (eine Auslandsgesellschaft deren Name mir während des momentes entgeht) I decided to get on my bike, follow the market and "trade" into a new NHS MTO3 post insisting on day-release at post-graduate level and anaesthetics training. Thinking that if I could not get the promotion then I could retrieve something out of the situation - you must take what's going in the NHS as you know KM. Not everything has turned out how I expected but that's life - a vast improvement on what I had though.
Even today, before AfC, my qualifications alone cannot get me that elusive promotion - it is low-level management qualifications and associated responsibilities that would justify this - not necessarily a technical speciality. With AfC on the horizon it looks like I'm never going to progress however much I think I know or do on the bench. This is because my employer can cap the requirements of my job within the job structure and keep me there. I think moving between jobs for a promotion may become more difficult than ever.
What would be quite upsetting to me is to find that AfC values my salary lower than an equivalent of MTO3 doing a similar job working elsewhere, in terms of pay and responsibility or reduces my prospects of promotion even further. I have no confidence in AfC at the moment.
As for following engineers around after their tests I have never seen this done at the places I've worked. The highly skilled and qualified staff I have known have mostly pulled their weight and got stuck-in, using their knowledge and expertise; I would not wish to abolish further education on a day-release basis for motivated and interested staff - it's what helps retain them.
I don't think that qualifications will be the issue with AfC - it's what your job-description says, the responsibilities you have on paper, the value that your employer places on this and how hard the employer wants to retain your services that will make the difference.
