One can't just learn C++ in one year, imho.
So I agree, 1 year doesn’t even begin to cut it. You need more than book knowledge, you need the experience of watching your masterpiece crumble under its own weight (sometimes several times) or have the joy of hunting some obscure bug because you failed to recognize the trap you had set for yourself.
I certainly wouldn't want to scare anyone off from C++, because personally I find the empowerment is worth the pain. It just takes time to learn what to avoid.
Very good point, but that's by no means unique to C++. Maybe that level of experience ;) in a related language, plus a good working knowledge of C++ would be acceptable?
He started ~2 months ago.