Ppdude
"but those that fail an SVC or after only 100 hours live? Should they really have been there in the first place?"
I can name numerous names that fit this criteria who are now competent valid controllers at other units.
But would they have validated at that other unit if they had come straight from the College? We'll never know, but the time they spent at LACC will have had some extra training benefit. Scottish and Manch have refused to take SVC failures from us for some time now.
SVC failures are not common at present. Yahoo must have been at LACC before we began formal preSVC training and in that respect may have been unlucky, however the emphasis in the first cycle on any SVC is knowledge of the Sector and procedures - not their application. The quickest way to fall behind on an SVC is to not know the bookwork and that is all down to the individual. This may or may not have been the case on Yahoos SVC, only he or she knows, but shouldn't occur anymore.
I have some sympathy for Trainees that refuse live time out of the blue. I don't think it is a good idea to turn it down but, with no live R/T experiance prior to starting at LACC, I can see why some wouldn't be too keen to try without a bit of notice!