I'm all for the rampie programs, though I don't necessarily agree with them. On one hand, pilots pay a lot of money earning their licenses and ratings. We come from all walks of life. Not all of us have "dreamed" of flying all of our lives. Who knows where we've come from and what we've sacrficed to get there. On the other hand, I took part in one, and it served me very well. Albeit, I spent considerably less time than the often quoted 1-2 years, but over the months I spent working on the ground, I had every opportunity to learn SOPs and aircraft systems, inside and out. Walking into a training department that demands no less, looking back, I don't feel I could have been adequately prepared. It's a very large step up, moving from a Seneca/TravelAir/Baron/Cougar to a two-crew turboprop. I'm happy I had the time I needed to prepare. And not to mention, I will never be asked to pay for a type rating.
The catch is finding the program that will "upgrade" you within a timely fashion, providing you show the work ethic, commitment and preparedness, and not let you rot on the ground until you are no longer interested in flying and the industry altogether.
My two cents. No regrets.