When I look back to my time in the Bundeswehr, I have to point out, that the standards and the store of knowlegde varied a lot.
The basic training was the same for everyone: 3 months of infantry training (how to march and shoot, learn the ranks, learn about life in barracks, learn to crawl through the mud and stuff like this). Exception from this rule were the drivers: they had a shortened basic training of 6 weeks and then made their "military driving license" in another 6 weeks.
But after basic training?
Several units were trained in a "Kampfkompanie" (= Fighting unit). These were trained for the rest of their time in the military. In an ordinary week we were on the training area for 3 days and spent one day at the firing range. For 12 month.
But the majority of the troops were stationed in some barracks far (from a young Germans point of view!) from home and they had not really something to do. Many young Germans hung in there, waiting for the end of their time in and spent their payment on alcohol and cigarettes!
So: Some conscripts were fine and had a quite good training, others did not know anything. (A lot of the guys from my school never had to shoot with the MG3 or the Uzi
. The guys in my unit were familiar with both after 6 weeks.
)
On the other hand: The two most inspiring leaders I got to know, joined as conscripts and stayed later on. Both were officers and both taught us a lot about democracy. This, in my mind, is the strongest argument for a conscript army. People join the army as officers, who had never before even wanted to join. And some of them are excellent teachers and leaders.