"....The same companies that, by your explanation are small and probably poorly funded. In my opinion these are probably not the best people to also be regulating their own TPs/FTEs"
What, like Bombardier or Cessna? What about the Boeing Airline division; are they all graduate TPs (maybe Rich knows)?
A clear, shining, example has to be Nick Lappos: 32 years with Sikorsky, test flying all the major types (including the Commache) during that period, and finishing as Program Manager on the S-92, but a non TPS graduate.