Two comments:
I think the training that can be found in tropical locations can be excellent and there is no reason to be painting with a wide brush that the "kids" working down on these islands aren't up to the task. As Trace pointed out in his Truth in humor post, those young PADI instructors bring a lot of energy. My daughter was certified in Cozumel and the instructor did all the skills during the dive and mostly neutral. For example, they did the air share at the end of the dive - he swam up to her, gave her the out of air signal, they air shared and then ascended to the SS. Another DM spent a good 30 min in the pool playing "Pirate" with my 9 year old daughter, for free, because I told him she was telling us she didn't want to learn to dive.
Following this and the debate of vacation divers, maybe the problem is that local shops aren't catering to vacation divers. Heaven knows the experience divers arent buying gear or training. Maybe classes need to focus on getting people ready to dive on a vacation off a boat (using a quarry) than preparing them to dive in a cold quarry. Quarries certainly have their challenges, but they don't have current, waves, a moving return point, salt water in your mouth and eyes, etc to deal with.
I know a couple that, in the last year, the wife bailed on her training after the 3rd dive because it was too cold, dark and cloudy at the infamous Dutch Springs. She literally would not go do another 20 min dive to get her card. Her experience was THAT miserable. They took a referral down to the Keys finishing their training while having a great time. Now they hate that scuba shop...
Has anyone ever thought of floating a "dive boat", no engine, in a quarry so students can learn to dive off a boat?