Personal experience with their grads, and as a Pilot and former flight instructor at other schools. The government subsidized schools, in Ontario in particular have quite a stigma. Springing from rules and regulations there that many feel degrade the quality of pilot coming from the institutions. 5 knot crosswind limits for students. Requiring that the gear remain down on the Bonanza's at all times because of one too many gear up landings (though I will admit my only knowledge of that particular reg may not apply directly to Seneca, but one of the other schools). Now I am sure that they do graduate some fine pilots, as you have pointed out. However in my experience, I have gotten an overall negative response in many places in the industry when discussing these aviation programs. As I said, if the CF is retaining control of the actual flight training, it likely wont matter. They'll just be sending them there for the degree.
This however circles back to my original question. If you aren't sending them there for the flight training, how is this any different/ better than the ROTP program at any other school, other than its a Bachelors of Aviation Management (which honestly wont apply much more to a CF pilot I would think, than just a normal BBA or BSC.) I would like more info on how they plan to get these students to wings in 4 years since through the normal ROTP program if you are lucky you can get slotted on PFT summer 3, however the other blocks are too lengthy to allow you to do it in the summer between normal classes.
Edit to add: I would like to also state that my problem is not with just Seneca but the majority of these "puppy mill" flight schools (having taught at 2 personally) They crank out pilots at an accelerated rate, leading these kids blindly into a crashing industry, with promises of job shortages and the glamorous life of a Pilot (which frankly doesn't exist anymore). The market is subsequently flooded, pushing the wages of pilots lower and lower, and reducing the quality of life, because these kids are told they need to do anything to get ahead, and the industry eats its young. With these schools being subsidized it just exacerbates the situation as it costs a fraction of normal university or conventional flight training, so massive platoon size classes are getting shoved through.
