The irony is that not that much has changed.
Many moons ago the 'cadets' didn't have to pay anything for their training and type rating. However, generally, they were employed on a 'sub' pay scale for, I believe, 5 years prior to joining the standard airline pay scale.
IIRC that was standard at the time for new entrants who weren't from the military or another airline. This pay differential was substantial and more than covered the airlines commit to training costs. The only difference being that the 'loan' wasn't taxed and the airline saved on National Insurance contributions over the period of the sub category pay.
It seems that the cost is now borne, up front, by the applicant which is a shame as the financial filtering system probably blocks many good applicants whilst permitting those privileged/indebted few through. Also the tax burden of repaying the loan is putting money in the chancellors pocket as the loan must be re-payed from taxed income
AFAIK.
It's a sorry state of affairs that, with a little thought and a dig through corporate tax rules, could be changed to the benefit of the applicant and the company.
This will never happen whilst CTC and Oxford sit as middlemen IMHO.
