wobble2plank,
you are right and I completely agree with you - BA can pick and choose who they want when they want.
However what gets up my nose is the way they shut out low hour mod cadets without any good reason apart from - we can so we will. When this is questioned by those on pprune, the replies come across as arrogant- from those that are actually flying for them. (there are some replies that obviously come from current employees).
I can't tell from your post whether you are a pilot with said airline but even your explanation "the training department can pretty much 'guarantee' the previous training structure of the integrated cadet as averse to the possibly 'unknown' training background of the modular" has the same arrogance and discrimination. - even though as I said you may not be a BA guy.
I find this an insult to mod students (I am not one btw). Does this mean that a mod structure may have some "quirks" that mean a low hour cadet might raise the flaps when he should have raised the gear instead?
Does this mean that the guy who juggled a full time job, family and ATPLs and still managed to get his/her fATPL is less worthy compared to the 20y/o that put his parents' semi at risk?
Frankly, as our NATIONAL airline and "WORLD's" favourite airline, I think the recruitment (if they ever did low hour cadets again) should be from a national spectrum rather than just getting those from Oxford.