People forget that BA is a business competing against the likes of RYR. To pay wages during training etc., is simply not affordable and ultimately affects the competitiveness of the airline.
This is a great scheme and hence such debates are basically moot.
If a Dr wants to become a pilot, fair enough. It's a waste of his 5+ years at medical school but we all make mistakes and that mistake was made at age 17. Equally, doing that kind of job is impossible if you don't feel passionately about it. Airline flying is not in that bracket anymore, although you still get the odd pilot that wakes up one morning and hates it/gets scared of flying and can no longer do it.