A solution, in the UK, is what I offered to Flight International Magazine in 1964. I envisaged a European funded Cadet College. Cadet Training would be free. Sponsoring airlines would fund and have direct access to graduates
Some years later than yours, after I rejected an offer to join Her Majesty's Air Brigade, I asked why there is no career path from military to civil? After all, Imperial Airways and all the other civil carriers obtained their pilots from the military after the wars. Experience was required, ability and character too. In past years the military have been troubled with finding enough quality pilots. I rejected her offer because I did not want to become redundant at 38 years old: it would have been fun but daft. If there was a career path both the military & civil operators would have enough. There are those who quote "the right stuff is the wrong stuff". Well IMHO that's bollox. There are as many 'unsuitable' bums on cockpit seats now as there might be from that argument. Britannia & Air 2000 were 2 very successful, safe, career minded airlines that, in their early days, recruited from the military. I wonder; if todays trained monkey cadet can hack it, sometimes, why not giving the ex-military guy a chance to change their spots and learn a different manner of doing it?
My suggestion was poo poo'd by the new cuddly HR & CRM physco babble brigade. "totally unsuitable and untrainable." What a load of BS. It is very sad to see so many airlines reject experienced applicants purely because they are experienced. Even a leading LoCo refused type rated F/O's saying they were too difficult to retrain. Now, in the shortage, they are relaxing that attitude. What a crazy daft world we live in!!.