At what stage did the 6-8 find out that they failed - was it during the course work, or during the simulator phase? I assume that if you don't make the required 70%+ on the various exams you'd find out soon enough and could try to go back to your old life. What sort of warning do you get, and what sort of support do you get after you've been dropped??? I know the dole isn't a whole lot less than the training wage, but it would be nice to know there's some recognition of the sacrifices people are making in taking the training plunge and giving them support while they pick up the pieces.
From memory there have been no failures from the course in the last few years for not passing the theory exams. The people that drop out have failed during the sim phase of training.
However you only get 2 supp's for theory so it is still very possible to fail during this stage.
As far as support if you don't make it, some people will be offered positions within the company in other roles, however you can not count on it.
Other than that support if you fail is virtually non existent.
There is a lot of pressure on you while you are training, however all I can say is if you make it it is worth all the hard work.