Definately not speculation. I've just read about it in BA's 'flight op's news'. So it's certainly no secret.
It is EXACTLY the same as the CTC wings cadet scheme of old. Where at the end you get a type rating, permanent contract and a tax free top up on your salary to pay the loan off.
It has arisen because BA now want to be in control of which low-houred guys they recruit, from the very beginning. It will ensure the very best quality achievable, without actually paying for the training.
In the early days of the CTC scheme (pre 2007), only 2% of applicants were successful. That was for a job with Easyjet or Thomas Cook.
I would expect an even bigger failure rate for this BA scheme.
Good luck.