Apply for a Cadetship. That's what I tell everyone who asks me.
Yup, that'll work -IF all you want to create is an airborne systems manager.
At that age, your niece should be getting her feet wet in Gliders and planning how to achieve and finance PPL, CPL and (I'm guessing) ATPL theory. She'll notably find out if aviation is really what she wants, and her eyes will be opened to the multitude of other career paths in the cockpit that are available. Going that route, with careful selection of schools and trainers, you'll forge a weapon that knows how to handle the aircraft when a stray electron fries all the magic.