As someone who passed the application process for the Etihad Cadet program last year I would say I have to agree with aceman on this one! From what Colony is saying I highly doubt we were in Abu Dhabi at the same time because I also didn't see any of the bad practices mentioned in Colony's post occuring.
Sure there were a couple of Etihad flight attendants applying and they have every right to, as do people who are currently flying (as long as they do not exceed the maximum requirements specified for applying) because they obviously have an interest in aviation! As for the Etihad pilot's kid mentioned by Colony, why is it so suspicious for someone who's parent is a pilot with Etihad to apply and be accepted? They most likely have an interest in aviation, as that tends to happen in families where one or both parents are pilots. They would know a lot about Etihad, what it means to be a pilot with the company and what is required of their pilots! If anything, it sounds like both the Etihad flight attendants and the sons and daughters of Etihad staff have a lucky head start, and I'm sure if your father was an Etihad pilot it wouldn't have stopped you from applying!
It's extremely tough to get a good flying job a long the lines of what Etihad are offering, basically from scratch. A lot of pilots spend lots of money and years flying before they even get a chance on turbo props, let alone heavy jets. Short of lying, cheating or bribing I would do anything I could to get myself in the best position to make it into this program. Anyone who makes it through the selection process has the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm not willing to give that up just because my course has been delayed by a year!
As for anyone who has made it into the program, I'm sure they are all worthy of what they have achieved and that the Etihad staff running the selection process wouldn't choose people they feel aren't up to the task. Think about it, if they have a whole bunch of cadets who don't even make it through the course, can't fly a plane, can't pass the exams and really aren't that interested in becoming pilots with Etihad, how does it make the people who selected them look, and how long would those people keep their positions/jobs in the Cadet Pilot department?