Stacey,
Your friend has to question his motives for wanting to be a pilot very carefully. What exactly is it that he wants from a flying career? Does he really understand the lifestyle of your 'average' newly-qualified FO in the UK?
As the other posters have said, given the combination of his age, the cost of training, and the jobs market for new FOs, it is fair to say that he will not recoup the cost of his training over the course of a very short career, and he may find himself at a relative disadvantage.
The aviation industry is also a notoriously fickle mistress, and regardless how good the recruitment prospects may appear, there could be almost anything lurking around the corner which brings it all to a screeching halt overnight (for me, it was 9/11). The industry always recovers eventually, but your friend needs to understand the risks as time is not on his side.
It is undeniably a great way to spend your working day (even the bad days kick the cr@p out of a normal job), but the pay and time off are not what many people expect, and any glamour has long gone. If it is just the simple thrill of flying that your friend seeks, then there are many, many ways you could spend £28K indulging this passion, including a variety of additional rating sto a PPL and a share in something interesting and rewarding to fly, instead of the standard garbage built by Piper and Cessna.
I would urge him to think about his choices very carefully indeed, and if he chooses to pursue a career in the industry, to walk into it with his eyes wide open to the many pitfalls ahead.
Either way, wish him the best of luck.