Hi everyone. New to the forum however have been reading for sometime. I found out today that I'm in the HEX pool. Forgot to ask yesterday at interview - if I'm offered a place on the next course will I be given the full training to become a train driver? Does any one know? Just curious if to drive on the simple HEX route you get subsidised training (like in the past). Does anyone know? Thanks
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GWR Train Driver talent pool
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tiptoptaff
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Plymouth also. But generally only for the West Country
Daydr3am3r
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Yep I have mine booked in Plymouth.
tiptoptaff
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Training is identical, but you'll only sign PAD-Heathrow
Tommy222256
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Ahh brilliant mate, how long where you in the pool for?
This interests me; where is this information held? I would love to challenge this as you would have demonstrated you are competent and then DMIs would confirm you as an individual they want. Dismissing you from the pool would seem a senseless action. But I am happy to be proven wrong if you could substantiate your claim. ‘A friend who is a manager’ doesn’t cut it if you are wanting to challenge it.
It had been 2 months.
tiptoptaff
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You have to begin your driving training within the validity of your assessments, which GWR take as the full 5years from the date you passes stage 1. (that's an industry-wide thing, btw) As such, if they expire while you're still in the pool, you're scrubbed. The 5year validity is an RSSB/OPC/Industry-wide thing, and very easy to find, if you look.
You can believe me, or refuse to. But, as several on this forum can testify to, I know what I'm talking about.
Daydr3am3r
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As Tiptoptaff has said, it’s industry-wide, although to be honest it’s more of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’. There’s nothing legislative about it. If the TOCs wanted to change their policy or make a special exception they’d be quite within their rights. I’ve never known this to happen though. I’d imagine, although I’m as always willing to be corrected here, that if you fail the driver course, and don’t qualify, you’d be back to square one too and have to resit psychometric assessments if you wanted to reapply for a driving position (if you’re not still ‘in ticket’.
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You are quite right there is a lot of information that pertains to the validity of the test, (5 years), however, my question was where does it state if you do not commence training? After selection for a pool position you have effectively passed all the elements of the testing process, (as this includes interviews....it’s not all about hand eye co-ordination). I have also noticed Stigy’s comment and that is spot on, if you fail as a driver during training it is square one as no company would risk employing someone who hasn’t demonstrated when out handling they don’t actually have the competence required and as such a re-sit is probably their requiremment. Which depot will you be working from?
What can I say it's been long. But I hung in there hahaReally feel for you for all that time in the talent pool
Congratulations!
LeGrimpeur
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Eggs&Bacon
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What dictates how long you’re in the pool for.? Is it DMI score, distance from depot, overall score throughout the process, etc, etc.?
Curious, as I see people mention your position in the pool. How is your position worked out.?
Curious, as I see people mention your position in the pool. How is your position worked out.?
Eggs&Bacon
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According to the email I had when I was placed in the pool back in January and assuming it’s the same across all trainee driver pools at GWR, they will assess and interview all suitable candidates (including internals), then place you in order of your performance at interview. So if you were one of the top scorers at interview you’ll get priority. It obviously depends on demand at your chosen depot too, but that’s it in a nutshell. @tiptoptaff or @EBlackadder may be able to shed more light on it.
Tommy222256
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Would you recommend a time scale before dropping them an email to see where I might be in the pool?, or just leave it and wait it out?!
Daydr3am3r
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Stigy is right, everyone is placed in their depot list in order of their interview score. Top scoring obviously offered available spots, and then through the list for future vacancies.
Daydr3am3r
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To be honest mate you can for peace of mind but others have been waiting some time have sent in emails for updates. The responses are usually ‘we haven’t forgot you and there are unfortunately no updates at this time’
Tommy222256
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Yeah thought that might be the case, I think I’ll give it another month and then drop them one!
As @Daydr3am3r has said, you’ll more than likely not be given any information. This will be because they genuinely haven’t got a timescale I’d imagine. You may be able to get an incline by searching the forum as to which depots are in need of most trainees etc to gauge roughly where you are.
To be honest though I think it’s anyone’a guess at the moment. I’m starting in July for Fratton and Fratton is a small depot with one vacancy (with a second coming up) I was told at interview, so I assumed I’d be waiting forever for ‘the call’. A month after being placed in the pool though, I was contacted. A mate of mine is in the pool for Reading (which I assume is a large depot?) and was placed in said pool roughly the same time as I was mine. He’s not heard anything yet. We are both external to GWR, but internal as far as FirstGroup go (so external as far as the recruitment process goes).
I keep telling myself I was obviously quite a high scorer at interview, but I’m not one to #WillyWave
Maybe I was the only applicant?
Tommy222256
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Top Recruit I heard on the grapevine!
Termy
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but I’m not one to #WillyWave
...We really are making this a thing, aren't we? xD
Me and Ebee applied for Paddington (HEX), and she joined the Pool on Monday/Tuesday, and has a conditional offer and medical lined up already.
I'm hoping for a similar situation after my interview tomorrow.
tiptoptaff
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It is impossible to tell how long you'll be waiting. It all comes down to the requirements of each individual depot at that specific time.
Workforce planning is a constantly changing document, and tries to look a few years ahead. But things change and so do requirements
Workforce planning is a constantly changing document, and tries to look a few years ahead. But things change and so do requirements
Tommy222256
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Possibly November and December!
EBlackadder
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Ibthink @Stigy is right, but this round seems to be a bit different to most.
Instead of the different functions going to Recruitment with their workforce plans and essentially saying "we need x number of drivers for depots a, b and c in x years time" and leaving it to Recruitment to build a pool, from which candidates are selected for courses, this time they've said "we've got lots of £ to run continuous courses for the next 12 months. Can you recruit x number of drivers for depots a, b and c and fill *these* course dates. Cheers then."
Something like that anyway...
Instead of the different functions going to Recruitment with their workforce plans and essentially saying "we need x number of drivers for depots a, b and c in x years time" and leaving it to Recruitment to build a pool, from which candidates are selected for courses, this time they've said "we've got lots of £ to run continuous courses for the next 12 months. Can you recruit x number of drivers for depots a, b and c and fill *these* course dates. Cheers then."
Something like that anyway...
EBlackadder
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What i'm getting at is that this isn't the usual "let's build up a pool of 40 people for the 5 jobs we might have in 3 years", but rather a determined attempt to fill *hundreds* of vacancies.
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