Apprenticeships begin at level 2 for students who don't gain the required GCSEs.
My point was more about the fact that this should all be weighed on balance...
College route requires time and expense of level 2, which for most people will be a waste of both. While people could follow your advice, fluff up their CV and apply for mate/improver positions, this may still leave them struggling to complete portfolio and gain NVQ. While you clearly have issues with the apprenticeship route for mature learners, my experience has been very different from yours and this at least demonstrates that matters are not so clear cut as one man's experience. I've been exceptionally lucky working mostly in industrial sites, with a decent amount of commercial work and occasionally domestic. My biggest challenge is remembering to take the time to document work, but that's something I need to focus on this year - realistically I could have gathered enough photographic evidence in year one to complete the NVQ portfolio.
As an apprentice your employer undertakes to provide the necessary time and experience required to complete every aspect of that apprenticeship and a suitably motivated apprentice could be through their AM2 in just over 3 years. I'd be curious to know what percentage of those going the college route would pass their AM2 within that timescale.