Littco,
I'm afraid you are wrong. You are assuming everyone is British, and will all be affected by the British economy.
Some countries govts help their young thrusters by offering educational loans (not commercial, bank loans, as in the UK). Also, it is much cheaper to train in other countries, and there are an awful lot of people without EU passports who have the right to live here in the UK and take those airline jobs. It was less than 10 years ago that BMI and EZY had roadshows in certain Southern Hemisphere countries.
Airlines will never sponsor again; the accountants will see to that.