I think it would probably be better to just make "temp to hire" the norm and start lot's of people, keep those who seem to excel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about cut-throat competition and giant classes feeding into one position.

I'm just thinking you can't tell how someone's going to do until they're in, and you should be able to get them in quicker and easier to find out. Finally, a lot of good people can learn quickly.

I suppose what I suggest is real hands-on mentorship which is not the norm in American management today...