I hate to be the bearer of bad news to all the prospective new ATCOs, but there’s not going to be any courses for a long time!
The industry is on its knees. Traffic numbers will not return to previous levels for a number of years. There’s likely to be many voluntary redundancies offered.
We also need to factor in the number of UK expats in the middle and far east who will, very soon, be returning to these shores looking for jobs. A unit will always try to take a previously valid controller over an ab initio. Especially in the financially crippled future of civil aviation.
I hope I’m wrong, but it would be wise to keep your career options open if you’re relying on a NATS cadetship.