VariablePitch
I think you are mixing apples and oranges.
- The type-rating gives you the privilege to fly that aircraft type (e.g. A380/B737/ATR72 or whatever it might be).
- The command course (company specific course) gives you the right to fly as a captain for that specific company.
- The ATPL (EASA limitation) is required to fly as a captain in commercial aviation, independent of the aircraft type. Which none of the graduated students are able to do as they are lacking practical experience (flight hours) hence they graduate with a CPL.
But let´s get back to the topic. For most pilots, the ultimate goal is to become a captain. If we then compare that same goal with the medical industry... Would a neurosurgeon start first day of school learning about the brain or learning about the human body? In other words, the coriolis effect or grid navigation would be very hard to relate to if you do not have a basic understanding of aviation. For some students the ATPL theoretical course might be a walk in the park, the same students might then struggle with the practical part and vice versa. All I am trying to say is that no student will pass the ATPL theoretical course without having the right tools at hand. For some that would be in-class tuition, for others the books, cbt:s etc. When some of those tools are taken away (e.g. for cost savings or COVID19 measures) or not provided in the first place, the student life gets very difficult. Try to explain the effects of the lift vector during a straight and level unaccelerated turn to someone who never sat in a cockpit.
It is "very easy" to memorize Human performance and limitations questions in a question bank, and still up to 85% of accidents have human factors as the contributing factor.
We need to stay humble in aviation, and when a training provider is making more money from killing a student's dream rather than achieving it (dreams, as often stated in the marketing) then I would look for another training provider. This does not only go for the above mentioned ATO but any ATO where the contract gives them the right to terminate you after having completed very little of the training program and keep 100% of the tuition fee. In the example above it shows what effects a governmentally sponsored student loan-scheme has on the terms and conditions and the training program. Where the student needs to choose what the student loan fund will approve, rather than which training provider they want. The ultimate decision always rests with the student, to follow or not follow the dream. In this specific case it ended as a nightmare (rarely stated in the marketing).