There HAVE been changes, with several iterations of PRIA they've ensured that airlines have visibility into the failures, violations, incidents, and accident history of those they might employ as pilots. This all came about because in the past pilots with bad histories were able to keep getting hired, and keep crashing planes (as recently as about ten years ago). I think the government is happy with the current system. They're not interesting in catering the to entitled desires of a few people who were raised to think that all you have to do is show up, and there are no consequences to choices, failures, or successes.
The real problem is kids who expect everything will be spoon-fed, instructors who just want to get their time and move on, and flight schools which just want to see the production moving.
As a student (if you want a crack at legacy payscales someday) it is utterly incumbent on YOU to manage your own training...
1. Carefully research the type of program which will work best for you.
2. Carefully research schools and instructors. If in doubt, just walk away.
3. Carefully research DPEs. If in doubt, just say no.
4. You have to do the work. Not just "good enough", but go above and beyond in your preparation. Since GA checkrides are done in the real world, you need to have enough confidence and comfort level to deal with unexpected challenges from ATC, weather, traffic, etc. Airline checkrides are far more consistent, and are done in the sim, so you have to look forward to.
Early on try to find a mentor who you can bounce ideas off. Career advice from CFI's should be taken with a grain of salt, they're not airline pilots and may never be. Career advice from senior old airline CA's should be taken with a grain a salt... those Migs he nailed over Hanoi are not relevant to your career, and neither are his carrier landings or top-gun class rank. Ideally you'd get advice from a junior regional CA or a junior major FO (who did civilian training)... they're experienced enough to know the lay of the land but junior enough to still have relevant knowledge. If you're talking to a guy who filled out paper apps and went directly from a 19 seat turboprop to a legacy which no longer exists, his knowledge is probably dated.
Fundamental caution on attitude: It's not going to be good enough to "be able to do the job" The best jobs pay many hundreds of thousands per years, with 1/2 - 2/3 of the month off... that's going to be very competitive, and flying ability/history is only part of it. You have to strive to stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the pack... don't relax on your laurels until you finish probation at your career-destination airline.
If you're not striving for the top-tier, then sure go ahead and accumulate a few busts along the way. The regionals, fractionals, and maybe ULCC/ACMI will still have you. And there's the always the wild, wild west of 91/135.
Now with all that said, maybe flight training got a little loose during the recent boom years with all of the turnover and maybe the FAA needs to take a round turn on that. But as a student, that's even more reason to carefully manage your own training.