I'd rather achieve a fATPL, for say £45,000 elsewhere and not have to worry about being in debt post training. Agree?
Yes, absolutely. If that is really want you want? There are much cheaper ways of obtaining a licence than through one of the major integrated flight training providers, and certainly through the "wings" cadet scheme.
The "wings" programme is an integrated course of training that is intended to lead to a type rating on a jet airliner and a placement with a partner airline. From these placements it is hoped that a career opportunity as an airline first officer dovetails from the advanced training.
There are no guarantees of a seamless progression from the advanced part of the course into an airline placement, since those opportunities are very dependent on the state of the partner airlines business at that point in time. Over the last few years there have been "holding pools" of graduates waiting for placements, for periods of a year and more. More recently, at the beginning of this year, those pools had largely dried up, and cadets were being placed with partner airlines as soon as they finished their training.
Successful graduation from the "wings" course is one of the best "low experience" opportunities, leading to a cadet placement in the marketplace. There are a handful of other airline/school partnerships with a couple of the other major integrated training providers.
The financial burden of these courses is naturally a major consideration for anybody applying for this route. Based on a combination of selection criteria and the ability to finance the course of training, it is only going to be a realistic option for a limited number of people.
If you want a commercial pilots licence, there are many options and many price points. If you want an airline cadet opportunity there are very few options and a limited range of price points.
This is why I ask the question, "what is it that you want?" Because the answer to that will drive an honest response rather than a "rose coloured" one. If you are looking for an airline cadetship at 200 hours it is very unlikely to mesh with the the statement I quoted at the top of this post.