I was told the same. When I applied I was told there were two vacancies (that has now increased to about 7 trainees and the same qualified drivers), so naturally didn’t think I stood a chance (especially being external) It seems our depot has a need for an increased establishment.
A friend of mine has been in the talent pool for Reading since since about January 2019 (we applied at the same time), but he’s since hit a trainee job at SWR where he worked anyway. It really can go either way. No matter which TOC or FOC we are talking about (Freightliner being another example if you look at that thread...).