Another seriously legitimate idea is, as hinted at by Topslide6, cost of such professional training be, to whatever extent possible, retrospectively refunded by the employer. It's a seriously unfortunate state of affairs when such companies are allowed to profit to such an extent by not having to train their own workforce.
But that is already the case! Pilots are overpaid compared with how they would be paid if there was an easy/cheaper way to obtain an ATPL. Can you imagine the going rate for a pilot if all the training was government (Taxpayer) funded? FATPL holders are two a penny now. Can anybody imagine the scenario if every man and his dog had access to ATPL training at no/minimal cost? One interview question may be "how much are you going to pay us if we give you this job?"