NightHauler said:
A "higher percentage of new hires are having trouble" is a comment that doesn't really paint the whole picture.
Never in the history of NJA has there been hiring at these proportions for this long of a period, so it is only to be expected that the number of "issues" we have increases.
If you do the math, and look at the checkride issues for new hires or IOE issues, you will find that they are hardly any worse than in the past, in fact are probably much better.
I can count on on hand the number of new hires since Jan 2006 that have "washed" out.
I agree 100% with what you're saying....but just to clarify, in my previous post I wasn't stating that we've experienced an increased number of pilots who have washed out. Like I said in the post, the information I've received from individuals in the training department (IPs, IOE captains, etc) is that the PERCENTAGE of pilots having difficulty in various stages of the training process has gone up over the last 6 months. The training dept closely tracks the percentage of people requiring additional training, and the figure I've often heard to be the "norm" is somewhere around 15% (of the new hires who need extra training). Apparently this percentage has climbed over the last few months (granted, this may be due to other factors not directly related to the quality of the new hires - for example, it could be a tightening by FSI).
As we all know, it's really hard to wash out here at NetJets - you more or less get 3 attempts to "get it right" before they kick you to the curb. On top of that, FSI is known for being soft on initials.
Yes, as we continue to hire at the level we have over the last 6 months, the number of pilots having problems will clearly rise...but if it's true that the percentage of these pilots is also rising, then I think it's something to keep an eye on.
The recent (and ongoing) improvements to the training process, spearheaded by the Union Training Committee, will improve the quality of the training at NetJets and will also allow for us to better monitor the progress of the new hires as they exit FSI. When these changes fully take form, I think we'll then have a better idea of what type of candidate we're attracting to NJA.
Whatever the case, it sounds like it was all a bad rumor anyway!