I think that the idea that these big schools somehow provide a 'better' quality of training to 'carefully selected' cadets originates only from their (very well funded) marketing departments. When you look elsewhere you find a different story. Andy O'Shea, who recently left the post of Ryanair Head of Training, repeatedly said that as far as Ryanair was concerned there was no difference in output quality between selected integrated students and self-improving modular students. Easyjet's Cadet of the year for 2017 (the last year I can find info for) was a
modular student