Good post 250kts - a look at the current posts on Ryanair and training bonds makes the NATS training scheme seem a breeze!
Though as you say later on - the training system is a bit of a mess - we all learn in different ways and at different speeds and often require a different approach from the people who train us.
Some people respond to the "kick up the backside" style of training, others to the more measured style where you actually feel that the instructor is teaching you skills. When I was at the college there was the feeling that each exercise was a test, not a learning experience. For some that was ok, for most it was not.
At the end of the day it's a job like any other. Is the training there to train you to do that job, or is it one long selection test 'til you validate? Answers on the back of a fps!