Direct entry FOs to Virgin currently need around 4000 hours, the vast majoriy of which must be in an airline (or military) environment. The minimum is 2500 hours, but I don't think we've recruited anyone with so few hours in a long time. The SO/cruise pilot arrangement, should it ever happen, will not be an alternative route for experienced 737 drivers to get into the company with fewer hours (which, to be fair, was what happened last time). However, it's no more than a discussion point at the moment.
The reason Virgin attends places like Oxford is that it wants people to remember that it exists, and because it's not only ab-initio OAT students that attend these seminars. I went to a seminar at Oxford when I was preparing to leave the RAF (with over 7000 hours), and that was my first informal contact with Virgin's recruiters.
Scroggs