It has been stated on this forum that this route is in fact the only P2F type arrangement in the UK (it's fair to say it's not P2F in its truest sense as there is little evidence of this type of arrangement in the UK since 2008. But it is difficult to argue against the fact it is actually payment of sorts to jump the queue. And on analysis the courses do seem a tad excessive cost wise)
It's is also a common misconception that those choosing this path are youngsters, the majority aren't teens early 20s but older in some cases much older.
It has certainly created a glass ceiling for the majority of the guts in the UK effectively cutting the jobs into two separate markets. Not 100% but certainly a high percentage. It's an accountants utopia