The lads here spread love and experience (less of the love these days mind) all day long.
I've always had the view that there needs to be a whole range of options to get people into any trade they wish, and not just one or two.
Short courses have pros and cons just like all the other options. The pros being you can do a course, and start practising with friends and family, and start doing the easier jobs just fine. Like ceramics on plasterboard etc. The skilled stuff even a lot of time-served will need to double check with manufacturers specifications and the likes, and anybody can do that.
It's the putting it into practise part though that puts the pro's aside compared to the newer guys still learning.
We've had this debate for years now and it wont change until some license of some form gets introduced like we hear about for some parts of Canada, USA and Australia. That'd be the big change that'd stop the debate.
The lack of regulation means a DIY homeowner, or a 'newbie', can tackle just the same jobs as a time-served professional who has all the contacts, skills, qualifications, etc etc.
And it's a shame. As like Phil and dozens of others have said in the past, we keep seeing jobs going belly up due to sometimes minor issues like saving £2 per bag on adhesive, and ending up with the wrong one.
BRING ON THE REGULATING OF THE INDUSTRY I SAY! I doubt me shouting in the biggest caps-lock I can find that will change it though mind. haha