Hi guys, I've recently (april) started at bmi after being in the hold pool since July last year. I know some of you guys in the pool so thought I would share a conversation I had with BB in the crewroom about two weeks ago. When I asked him about the holdpool he assured me it would remain in place due to the efforts taken to create it.
He recommended that in the current climate the best thing to do would be to have a job in the industry. Examples given were as cabin crew or dispatchers. The reason given was that when recruitment does start again then it usually takes place internally first and even if it doesn't then at least you hear about it first. Also the experience will serve you greatly when you are eventually sat on the right side of a closed flightdeck door.
Hope this info is of some use.