Do I think aircrew should be better paid? Yes
Do I think experienced Captains will continue to leave? Yes
But the thread is about the trainee program, which is not really designed to address either of those problems.
The trainee program was designed to address the problem of finding new meat for the sausage machine. FOs leave the airline at a much higher rate than Captains do. So the trainee program was designed to address the problem of finding suitable new FOs for the operation in absence suitable qualified direct entry FO applicants (a pool that was drying up very quickly at the time).
In that context the program has worked quite well. Ask any of the kiddies that have gone through already, especially those that have gone straight on to the 400, and I think they will say they were pretty happy to get the opportunity. So let's not paint it with a brush of doom and gloom and cynicism when in and of itself it has been providing the desired result for both parties. QL gets pretty well trained (if not experienced) FOs and the young uns' get jump start on their career.
Let's just be accurate about the purpose and result is all I am saying.
SF