Behind locking the starter zone? It's actually once you got a rank (any rank) in any of the three professions (don't know if CQC counts, I'd hope not) and dock outside the starter zone, your permit is revoked. This is intended to keep predators out of the kiddie pool. Even if an experienced CMDR clears their save and returns to the starter area, they're limited to what they can get there. As any automatic schemes, it's not foolproof, though - you can set up e.g. a D-rated Viper that will swallow Sideys without chewing.But what is the idea behind this?
And yes, in order to afford A-rated modules, you'll need to make money, which automagically will grant you a rank.