I was lucky and learnt to fly my first big jet B732 in days of visual flying around the islands and into big UK airports. Thus we learnt all aspects of operations, with & without ILS's, and learnt NPA's for real. The a/c was basic, it was just faster than the Navajo I'd spent years on, and bigger than HS125 I'd cut my jet teeth on. The foundations were solidly laid by some good captains and by scaring myself enough times when single crew. (there were lot's of "I learnt about flying..." moments).
I loved the B757/767 technology. Great a/c to hand fly and the info presented made it so much more accurate and easy to be precise. You could rip them around the circuit in some tiny places with full confidence where you were relative to the target. Never did forget or lose the basics. When it got murky the automatics were a joy and abbreviated arrivals still possible with confidence. I had great trouble trying to convince the newbies to hand fly more often and turn off the LNAV/VNAV. Look out of the window and use DME. That was 25 years ago. Now I teach B737NG. The newbies are straight off a Cherokee, or the lucky ones an EFIS trainer. The SOP's demand they fly LNAV/VNAV, so they do. They've read the books backwards. I try to encourage to think of the a/c as faster Seneca; the basics remain the same, things happen quicker. Don't forget the foundations you've already laid, but I do also teach the automatics, above and beyond.....
The SOP police and training gurus hate it. 1 year later you meet the budding pilots on the line and they are bored. No visuals encouraged, and LNAV/VNAV required if you do. The company policy is to dilute piloting skills, but they'll never admit it. It might not be the primary intention, but it is certainly the result.
If anyone knows how to post a link to the classic scene in Space Cowboys where Tommy Lee disconnects all the computers on the Space Shuttle for a landing. The young experience astronaut crew, on the jump seats, are horrified. Post it on here next to the 'Children of the magenta line' video. Next to that post a link to Asiana/SFO & THY/AMS. Then we'll have a view from both sides of the argument.