Sorry Scruggs
I didn't intend to give the impression that I had any specific information on schemes that are about to start. I work on small red helicopters and there is no way that we can go down the sponsorship route due to the experience requirements for our sort of work.
However, the helicopter industry in general is now facing recruitment problems that must compare with the worst we have seen (or best depending on your view of it all!) Bristow have just invested in a training outfit in the USA (I might be jumping to wrong conclusions here, I have no inside information.) You may remember Bond Offshore advertising for pilots and applicants for sponsorship when they first set up. The demise of the sponsorship was down to timing rather than any lack of enthusiasm for the scheme from the company (They needed co-pilots 'now' not 14 months down the line.) No idea what CHC are thinking, I'm sure someone will come up with some facts or theories.
All this leads me (and a few others) to believe that sponsorship will start up sometime soon. The problem is, sponsorship is expensive and the results of the investment will not even begin to be seen for well over a year. Sadly, aviation companies always seem to lag behind the trend when it comes to training ab-initio pilots. They close schools at the end of a glut of pilots and then restart training towards the end of a pilot famine. Whatever happened to Hamble and Redhill?
Historically helicopter sponsorship has not been clawed back from salary, at least as far as I am aware. As for requirements for application, who knows? One thing for certain, they will expect some sign of commitment/self motivation and a PPL has to count for something on that score.
That is my thought on it all.
TeeS