This thread has been so interesting, and worrying. I'm a driver for a southern TOC. I drive to the same rulebook as drivers in all the other TOCs. On some of the routes I sign I share the track with drivers from other TOCs. So why the hell was I assessed differently to drivers in other TOCs? Whether you take your car driving test in Wells, Tonbridge or Penrith, the criteria you are judged on and the pass standards are the same. Why is there not one standard across the whole mainline railway industry?
A question to the older drivers who know how things worked in more than one depot before privatisation... Is this a new thing as a result of the fragmentation of the railway, or did every depot have its own standards back in the days of BR?
My training had a simple split between (a) Rules/traction in the classroom, (b) handling with a Driver Instructor, and (c) route learning.
After (a) we had a multiple choice test to test rules/traction. I've never heard of anybody failing that.
After (b) and (c) we had a 4/5 day initial competency assessment (ICA) with a Competency Manager, for which you get two attempts. All routes are driven, by day and by night. Time is spent doing booking on, prepping, depot shunting, mainline driving, oral questioning about rules and traction, using a cardboard model railway to demonstrate knowledge on emergency protection and signalling, etc. Whilst every trainee driver's experience is different, we were all tested against our TOC's written list of competency requirements. I know of one driver who failed his ICA twice and was kicked out, and another driver who failed first time (due to COVID I don't know if he has retaken, but my fingers are very much crossed as his failure was due to over-cautious driving and he is a very sensible bloke who I'm quite happy to be sharing rails with).
What I will say to
@mstrwvr (the original poster) is that, if you have passed the selection process to start the course, you are very very able to pass the course. And the further you progress through your course the more your TOC have invested money in you; so the less they want to fail you.