I'm not a fan of the idea for a few reasons.
First, it's not necessary for everyone to be able to improve every skill beyond a certain point over time. As Lizzie has pointed out, some people are just limited in their talent for a given thing.
Second, with a system that is NOT automated, it creates more work for staff, which I know they aren't trying to do. They're not trying to make the game more labor intensive. I imagine they're trying to do the opposite: Make much of the more mundane stuff more automated, so staff can focus on the parts of the game they enjoy more: Telling stories and animating NPCs.
And finally, no disrespect to staff as I truly think our current staffers are some of the best in Arm history with regard to fairness and communication, but any time you implement a system that requires that human component to get approved or not, favoritism, real or only perceived, will make it's presence known.
I would only be in favor of something like this if the process for post-character creation karma spending were automated. If we have the karma, there shouldn't be a human element to the spending process, since the karma is there to act as a filter for those deemed responsible enough to handle power or special roles to begin with. And even then, I don't think it's really necessary due to point #1 above.
Further, in order to automate it, each non-extended subguild would need to have an extended subguild variant before the idea would become plausible. If a staffer wanted to take on a huge project like that, making all the subs and matching ESGs make sense, and automating the system of spending karma on ESGs after the fact, I'd support it. Honestly, I think if we did it that way, as a major project, I'd like that idea better than what we have now. It would allow players to sort of "dip their toes in the water" with a character concept without spending karma. Then, if they enjoyed the character and lasted awhile, they could make the karma investment and extend their subguild skill caps.
It would also make it so that people didn't "lose karma" on a mundane PC that quickly died to something stupid, or that ended up with terrible stats and thus died in a spar or something. People might be more willing to spend karma on mundane PCs if they're more sure of the longevity of said PC.