I don't, believe that I mentioned anything about being a safe Pilot. I take the view that both you and I are safer Pilots with the experience we have. I would hope that we are aware that complacency could be an issue and we try to avoid it. I would imagine that your cadets from 15 years ago are safer now and have improved skills and judgment than they did when you first flew with them.
That simply is my point, if you aim to hire the most experienced Pilots you can then you will be hiring people who have reached a higher point of personal development and that generally will be safer.
I know that does not fit the concept which the British fto's would like but it is the safer way.Twenty years ago when the main form of training was "self improver", the current type of FTO would have been the better option. Now that most people have been through structured training to obtain a license it makes no sense to ignore experience or personal development.