Well personally I wouldn't do it. BMI and BA never featured in my plans.
But its up to the individual it depends on how much debt he is still in and how much disposable income he has.
If he managed to jump through the hoops of a BMI assessment I suspect that he would have had no probs with any other operators recruitment process and it wouldn't matter how he did his training. Only difference is he is looking at 70k-100k's worth of money to repay, 10-15 years to command and if unlucky the additional hit of paying the cost of living in London. But if he is happy it was the right choice for him.