As my first Military flight instructor put it, "I could teach your Granny to fly this airplane given the time, but you've got exactly 90 minutes to demonstrate you have assimilated every lesson I teach you - competently and safely".
That approach is pretty standard for non-paying students, the problems start when people can just throw more money at the problem. Starting a training program with aptitude and flying grading tests certainly weeds out those who simply don't have the aptitude, then manage to get lucky (or unlucky) on exams and check rides until it's dark, icy, and everything has gone wrong.
Before castigating these training orgainizations though, you might want to ask yourself what kind of regulatory and test authority is allowing this level of inexperience and skill loose in a commercial airplane in the first place. These training organizations simply train students to pass the test, it's the FAA/JAA rules that set the test standards in the first place.