What's the feeling within the Virgin pilot community about this?
Personally I'm fairly sanguine about it. I don't see the hold pool drying up, recruitment stopping forever or western civilisation collapsing over the decision to recruit 10 or so cadets who won't actually hit the line for another 2 or 3 years hence. In the meantime you have a predominantly middle to late-middle aged demographic with the 65yrs old retirement bubble looming in a few years. All things being equal then, we're going to see increased retirements, reduced times to command and an ongoing need to recruit experienced pilots into the company. A trickle of cadets will serve to smooth out the demographic somewhat in the future but won't cause the rending asunder of the space/time continuum that some of the posters on here are speculating it will.
You can guarantee that there are all manner of tax breaks, incentives and deals are being achieved by both CTC and VAA. As VAA puts in place many initiatives to bring the company back into profit it certainly isn't going to start benevolently lobbing money at prospective aviators. Whilst I personally dislike the MPL concept I think the VAA scheme offers more over others. VAA being who they are will make the trainees feel part of the company from the outset (an intangible aspect I'll agree but important one nonetheless) through things like supernumerary flights, cadet liaison line pilots and immersion in VAA SOPs etc from an early stage.
As for the cost, well it is what it is. As stated, VAA aren't going to throw £1M at 10 unknowns in the hope of getting some pilots a few years down the line. So the cost is borne by the trainees. Personally I would've like to have seen VAA at least assist in securing the finance - some sort of link up with Virgin Money would've looked good (rather than the dubious looking Banquõs Del Récessiōn featured on the CTC site).
However, If a financial giant like BA want £84k for their Future Pilot Scheme you can't be surprised that VAA expect similar funding requirements.
Notwithstanding the general failings of the Zero to Hero MPL course, there isn't a shortage of pilots out there and Virgin isn't reliant on these cadets getting through to support the business. The desire to achieve, do well and pass the course must therefore driven by the students themselves, safe in the knowledge that if they don't put the effort in they fail and they personally are out of pocket to the tune of £LOTS. It's not like joining the Air Force, getting halfway through training before deciding you don't really like flying and then dropping out with no financial penalty. Any airline that doesn't own it's own training school needs to protect itself from the vagaries and potential financial losses of sponsoring ab initio pilot training.
When these cadets fall out of the machine at the far end they become long haul Line FOs. I have absolutely no idea what the pay scheme will be. However it works out, the new pilot will be on a decent wage (commensurate with experience), flying long haul around the world, on track to a long haul command with a great company at a relatively young age.
Yes you can drill down into the figures and work out quite how CTC and VAA are saving on NI costs or tax breaks or whatever. Airlines are businesses not charities and they would be mugs not to be using the system to minimise costs/maximise costs wherever they can. Your current employer is probably/definitely doing it to you right now.
As for ongoing recruitment, the Virgin Training Standards Manager has already outlined Virgin's needs in an earlier post. The longstanding recruitment requirements of 3000hrs etc etc won't change. Those requirements work and produce the candidates that the company want. Yes some might perceive it as "unfair"; lots of things in life are "unfair" including Airline recruitment which is based on 30% qualifications/suitability and 70% luck and right place/right time. I thought it was very unfair when Virgin didn't interview when I first applied. I was then very lucky when they did a year later. Not much changed in the intervening time other my amount of luck.
Whether or not those currently in the hold pool get offered a job I can't say. I spent a long time in the VAA hold pool before I was offered a job and I really hope those that are currently "swimming" get offered a course in a due time. If they do or don't will have absolutely and categorically nothing to do with cadets and everything to do with 787 training needs, Airbus vacancies, route changes, 747 drawdown/base moves and planning needs for the 744 replacement (777/A350/???).
On balance I think this is a half decent scheme and one that offers superb opportunities to a few budding young aviators. Yes it's expensive which is self-selecting in itself; I would've liked to have seen more indirect financial support from VAA to enable the widest spectrum of people to apply. Yes it'll be a burden on the trainers in the future but not, I believe, an intolerable one. And no, no-one will "take it out" on them when they reach the line (whatever "it" is). That's not really how we do things.
Interesting times and good luck to those applying - see you downroute in a few years' time.