With a little research you'll find otherwise qualified pilots use sims
before flying a different type aircraft. I seem to remember some
airlines allow ATRs to learn about a new type on a sim then fly as
first officer. This is a far cry from taking someone with zero time,
however, and offering them any level of control of an airplane.

These sims are elaborate, have operators outside to control the
experience, and cost many happy meals an hour to run.