Absolutely not.
You advise people to take a route that joins you on the same "stepping stone." What you fail to point out, is just how small that "stepping stone" is. There are a lot of people hoping for a chance to get on it, and for many of them it would be a fantastic opportunity. The truth is that most simply won't get those opportunities. However since the economic realities will ultimately dictate the options for the vast majority, it will be their only choice.
Beyond these "stepping stones" lies the ultimate goal for many. It is their route here that a lot concern themselves with. Most are looking for the best opportunity and the fastest track to these goals. Those opportunities usually follow specific pathways, and no matter how much you dislike or rail against it, they remain the best courses.
A healthy market in those "stepping stone" opportunities is to be applauded, as it provides the best chance for those who cannot afford the fast track training methods. However the reality is that those markets are as weak as the general economy would suggest, and massively oversubscribed with would be applicants.
Obviously £85k of debt and a £57k income is preferable to £60k debt and no income at all! Those opportunities are the top end of the scale, but they exist. Then there are less favourable opportunities that still provide an income, still provide flying time, still provide licence and IR renewals. In other words an advancement of the apprenticeship.
There are no guarantees and no promises, but the opportunities do exist.
I have said it many times, and neither you or anybody else challenges the statement. But if this were a paid sponsorship and you could select the training method, which would it be? There is no challenge because the honest response is obvious. However the reality is that few people can afford this route and so it becomes a moot point. However for many of the first tier airlines it isn't a financial risk, and they have little difficulty specifying the route that their cadets should either take or be drawn from.
I (rhetorically) wonder why?
As to your final point, yes you are right the thread is of interest and origin to those concerned with the BA FPP scheme. Guess where they are going to be trained?