IMHO the short answer is, no.
Personally I think trades like RCEME could fit very well into the reserves.
I'm more and more convinced that our reserve system is not fit for purpose. Yes, we do have a large number of dedicated reservists who are quite good at what they do but under our current system they all require extensive pre-deployment training before becoming "deployable". In my opinion a reserve system should create a "low cost" manpower pool that can be quickly brought into full-time service when needed. On the other hand I'm also convinced that our Reg F Army is no longer fit for purpose. Think about it. Under the managed readiness system and fleet management system, two thirds of our army is considered NOT ready to deploy. If we needed more than 1/3, we'd have to cobble together a structure from what is left and put them through a lengthy training cycle or accept the risk of failure or high losses. Don't even get me started on equipment and skills capability gaps where we simply do not have key stuff that any modern army needs to have to fight.
I think we need to rebuild structures, but particulalry reserve structures, from the ground up. Fundamental to that is the question of determining what we need for peace and conflict and then designing a system which is low cost during the former but capable of rapid expansion for the later.
I think that the reserve RCEME trade is a perfect example of a system that could be vastly improved but before you even start with it you need to improve the underlying reserve concept. For me the greatest failing of the reserves are 1) courses are too short to teach the fundamental skills needed by each individual regardless of trade; 2) there needs to be a period of mandatory training each year to allow individuals to hone their basic skills further and units advance collective training (I think 48 days per year would do) Any additional training or employment, if any, would be voluntary; 3) people can quit anytime meaning we've wasted expensive training resources. I think there should be set terms of service and, in exchange for the moneys invested in training, the individual is required to complete set years of his/her contract to be available in case he/she is needed; and 4) in order to facilitate the previous points there needs to be some really solid legislation to protect reservists civilian jobs, and to ensure that there is a clear, predictable pattern of service that ensures that the employer's, the reservist's and the reservist's family's interest are balanced so as to make being a reservist, hiring a reservist and being a member of the family of a reservist attractive.
I could see a RCEME trade working like this in order to create an effective system:
1. The Army sets up "Workshop depots" in four or five major cities;
2. A high school student in his last year is interested in mechanics. He enrolls in the reserves as a craftsman on a fifty-month (4 years plus two months) contract and for his first summer school vacation attends a six-day a week BMQ/SQ program for the full summer for which he is paid as a private;
3. In September he starts a course in automotive mechanics at a local community college the tuition for which is paid for by the military but for which he does not receive a salary. He does however parade for one mandatory weekend (Fri evening to Sun evening) a month for additional military training for which he is paid;
4. In June he commences a basic craftsman course at the workshop depot for 3-4 months which lasts the entire summer vacation and which builds on what he has already learned at the CC but converts those skills to the essential ones needed to be a DP1 mechanic. He is paid for this training;
3. In September he starts another course with the community college (maybe heavy equipment maintenance). Again the military pays the tuition but no salary except for the mandatory 1 weekend per month;
4. In June he commences an advanced craftsman course at the workshop depot for 3-4 months which lasts the entire summer vacation and which builds on what he has again learned at the CC and again converts those skills to selected ones needed for a DP 2 specialty. He is paid for this training;
5. In September he is transferred to the RCEME company of a service battalion within the same city and which is affiliated with the workshop depot. He now starts a one year mandatory Class B contract with his RCEME company during which his primary responsibility is to conduct maintenance on all of the vehicles which are part of his reserve brigade. He is paid for this work and builds experience for his resume. The following August he attends his first three-week collective training exercise with his RCEME company;
6. In September he reverts to Class A status with a requirement over the next year to attend ten 2.5 day monthly weekend trg sessions Sept to June, to have all of July off and to attend another 23-day exercise in August as well as any additional voluntary trg or Class B employment available. (This becomes the standard Class A service year for all fully trained personnel) At the end of August his contract ends but he has the opportunity to sign up for additional fixed-term contracts each of which has a mandatory 48 day trg requirement.
The end result is that you have an individual who has received a subsidized education, a civilian recognized trade certification and a year of practical experience as a mechanic and as such should become a valuable commodity for any employer. Throughout this the individual has continued to live in his family's home at no cost to the military. The military has a fully trained and experienced individual who has also provided one year of valuable maintenance service for his brigade. By having established an additional year of a fixed pattern of reserve service, both the individual and his employer can see the benefit of continued Class A service. Just as importantly, after completing the year of Class B service, any individual who wishes to transfer to the Reg F should be able to do so seamlessly, at rank, with no further training required.
The "workshop depot" is a training institution separate from the reserve brigade which is fully responsible for recruiting and managing the individual until fully trained and ready to serve in a line unit. It's makeup could include a core of managers during the winter augmented by either reserve or regular force instructors during the summer training cycles. The Class A RCEME coy would have a core of Reg F NCOs to supervise and conduct maintenance (together with the Class B's) to service the brigade fully.
That's just one idea. There are hundreds of options and similar programs could be run for many skilled trades from cooks to transport operators to health services specialist--wherever there are community course which teaches the bulk of the basic skills and techniques for a given occupation and provides the civilian certification which greatly benefit the reservist's opportunities in the civilian world.
In this kind of model, there is room to vary some of the terms. For example you could make it a 5 year plus two month first contract to increase the period of "pay-back" service for the tuition. You could offer additional Class B contracts if there is a high maintenance load. You could offer signing bonuses for reenlisting for another 3-5 year term of service. You could have a term of mandatory years (say 2-3) of supplementary reserve service after release which would permit calling individuals "back to the colours" in a major emergency. The possibilities are endless.