I agree with the sentiments in principle - it would be good to have training schools operating in a way not unlike the universities where ability and motivation are important pre-requisites for entry rather than just £50k in you pocket. It was this belief that got me along to Pilot Assist in the first place. But after a lot of posturing I just couldn't be persuaded that the company were going to ring the changes - I felt the skills and experience base amongst those working there was simply not as great as some of the other more established schools. Plus there seemed to be a flaw. I currently work in an industry where barriers to entry are high in that it is very difficult to get a foot in the door, not unlike aviation. My current industry will never change as many feel this is a good filter to test indivuals'mettle i.e. if you cannot see your way through this process then you may not want the career enough. I know this is an old-school point of view, but I certainly felt when I went to the Pilot Assist seminar that they were offering some sort of short cut and offers like that can attract the wrong people to a career.
I think the notion of tighter vetting for self sponsored students, allowing a school to develop a not-entirely-commercially-minded reputation, is an excellent one, but having witnessed the reality of the proposal I think it is going to take a while for Pilot Assist to genuinely offer the niche service they talk of.
I stress the above are my opinions based on visiting Pilot Assist college.