Trainee Train Drivers (Talent Bank) - Avanti - Multiple Locations (02/10/22)

[MatthewLdn]

Training is carried out either in Polmadie or at Tatton House in Crewe. Your Depot location doesn't influence where you go, if you live a fair distance away however you will travel to the training centre on the Sunday afternoon to your hotel and be paid for it.

Thanks for the info. Do you have an idea on how long the training would be at one of those locations before you return to your depot location?

 

[Sorcerer]

From someone I know who has gone through this recently application is slow so I wouldn't worry too much about January. Took 9 months for him to start and I believe that is quite quick for railway. The most recent courses have been in glasgow and have a mix of people their from London upto scotland

Accommodation and food allowance. Don't worry about the logistics they will organise it all, you just need to be prepared for long train journeys and being away from home

Training is carried out either in Polmadie or at Tatton House in Crewe. Your Depot location doesn't influence where you go, if you live a fair distance away however you will travel to the training centre on the Sunday afternoon to your hotel and be paid for it.

Just to be clear, this is providing that applicants are successful in the selection process and actually receive a job offer that is accepted, right?

 

[OldSwan16]

Just to be clear, this is providing that applicants are successful in the selection process and actually receive a job offer that is accepted, right?

What else would it be…?

 

[TP113]

And is the basic training 18 weeks? That's a long time to be away mon-fri and lots of travelling for us southerners. Might put a few people off.

 

[tonyianmoore@g]

It didn't say in the email but are travel expenses paid for the assessments? If not I'll try and grab the £7.50 ticket from Milton Keynes.

EDIT : Just booked a return from MK to Crewe for £15.00 - will have a couple of hours to kill in Crewe on the way up and an hour or so on the way back but at that price at least I've got an option, and if a strike does get called for that day at least I've not lost a full ticket cost.

 

[Efini92]

And is the basic training 18 weeks? That's a long time to be away mon-fri and lots of travelling for us southerners. Might put a few people off.

They are in the process of opening a new training centre in euston. Not sure when it will be operational though.

 

[T3POSSESSION]

Just to be clear, this is providing that applicants are successful in the selection process and actually receive a job offer that is accepted, right?

I think the answer is pretty self explanatory. Why else would you be sent down to a training facility in a different city and have all your accommodations and food paid for if you weren’t offered a job.

 

[Neatro]

Just to be clear, this is providing that applicants are successful in the selection process and actually receive a job offer that is accepted, right?

Obviously.

It's when your training actually commences. They won't pay for non-employees.

All assessment travel costs are out of your own pocket

 

[Sorcerer]

I think it's pretty neat that they pay for all the relative expenses and sort out the logistics of it all to be honest, and even if I might end up going to Polmadie if I'm successful it's really not a big ask to be away from home for 16 weeks in the grand scheme of things. For now though I think I'll concern myself with the current assessments I'm due to sit. At least knowing now though will let me mentally prepare myself for it in future in case I get that far.

 

[Neatro]

I think it's pretty neat that they pay for all the relative expenses and sort out the logistics of it all to be honest, and even if I might end up going to Polmadie if I'm successful it's really not a big ask to be away from home for 16 weeks in the grand scheme of things. For now though I think I'll concern myself with the current assessments I'm due to sit. At least knowing now though will let me mentally prepare myself for it in future in case I get that far.

I wouldn't worry about the could be.

I'd focus more on what's ahead of you as otherwise you may lose focus and see far ahead.

Plus I don't like being disappointed so I'll just going to look forward to the next step and hopefully make it through. If not I can say I tried my best

 

[T3POSSESSION]

I think it's pretty neat that they pay for all the relative expenses and sort out the logistics of it all to be honest, and even if I might end up going to Polmadie if I'm successful it's really not a big ask to be away from home for 16 weeks in the grand scheme of things. For now though I think I'll concern myself with the current assessments I'm due to sit. At least knowing now though will let me mentally prepare myself for it in future in case I get that far.

Most companies these days will pay expenses if they're expecting you to live away from home even if its just for a week, but yeah I would just concentrate on getting yourself through the hoops of everything before that. If you're successful you will be held in a talent pool so training is a long way away.

 

[Neatro]

Most companies these days will pay expenses if they're expecting you to live away from home even if its just for a week, but yeah I would just concentrate on getting yourself through the hoops of everything before that. If you're successful you will be held in a talent pool so training is a long way away.

Wouldn't say training is a long way away. Being as Avanti are short of drivers, their drivers are refusing to do overtime until pay demands are met means they're short of drivers and the government has given them 6 months to improve the service.

I'd say they want a batch of drivers training before that 6 months runs out as a show that they're working on it.

I'd say the earliest to start if successful would be June/July

 

[Dec718]

When you’re at the assessment centre.. does anyone know if you fail the first test then you’d just get sent home straight away? Or do you do all of them and it’s a collective mark across all the tests?

 

[2857]

Training is approx 14 weeks at the training centre however there are two periods where you spend a week or two at your home depot so the total time is about 16 - 18 weeks. During the training as it currently stands there are two major rules assessments (paper), one traction assessment, one simulator assessment, two oral rules examinations with Driver Managers and one final oral rules exam with the Training Manager. Those who have failed one of these elements have been allowed to retake but be under no illusion if you continue to fail to meet expectations you'll be put back onto another course.

 

[Sorcerer]

Training is approx 14 weeks at the training centre however there are two periods where you spend a week or two at your home depot so the total time is about 16 - 18 weeks. During the training as it currently stands there are two major rules assessments (paper), one traction assessment, one simulator assessment, two oral rules examinations with Driver Managers and one final oral rules exam with the Training Manager. Those who have failed one of these elements have been allowed to retake but be under no illusion if you continue to fail to meet expectations you'll be put back onto another course.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I'm sure it'll probably be easier as you progress further into it. I mean after all, the job's salary is paying you for retaining all this knowledge for when you eventually need it.

 

[Neatro]

When you’re at the assessment centre.. does anyone know if you fail the first test then you’d just get sent home straight away? Or do you do all of them and it’s a collective mark across all the tests?

No. If you fail a test you get sent home. I think it says on the email or booklet that you'll only do the full day if you pass each one.

I could be wrong though. I'd hope it's you just do them all

 

[Jonsutt]

No. If you fail a test you get sent home. I think it says on the email or booklet that you'll only do the full day if you pass each one.

I could be wrong though. I'd hope it's you just do them all

You do all the paper ones then you'll get an email confirming a pass or fail, if just the paper tests are taken that day. If it's a full day( paper in morning then computer in afternoon) then you'll only progress onto the computer if passed otherwise you get sent home.
On the computer session you do all the tests upto the mmi and if passed all then to do the mmi otherwise your sent home without doing the mmi

 

[Neatro]

You do all the paper ones then you'll get an email confirming a pass or fail, if just the paper tests are taken that day. If it's a full day( paper in morning then computer in afternoon) then you'll only progress onto the computer if passed otherwise you get sent home.
On the computer session you do all the tests upto the mmi and if passed all then to do the mmi otherwise your sent home without doing the mmi

Ah good to know

 

[Sorcerer]

I did wonder about whether or not people would be sent home early, but seeing as it's a three-hour day for assessments it makes sense to sit all the paper tests and then be told by email if we passed or not. I wonder if the computer tests for the successful candidates will be taken in the afternoon rather than the morning this time around, but we'll have to wait and see for that one.

 

[tonyianmoore@g]

I did wonder about whether or not people would be sent home early, but seeing as it's a three-hour day for assessments it makes sense to sit all the paper tests and then be told by email if we passed or not. I wonder if the computer tests for the successful candidates will be taken in the afternoon rather than the morning this time around, but we'll have to wait and see for that one.

I've got paper tests in the afternoon

 

[Sorcerer]

I've got paper tests in the afternoon

They must be doing them in different groups throughout the day then.

 

[Chippychips]

I did wonder about whether or not people would be sent home early, but seeing as it's a three-hour day for assessments it makes sense to sit all the paper tests and then be told by email if we passed or not. I wonder if the computer tests for the successful candidates will be taken in the afternoon rather than the morning this time around, but we'll have to wait and see for that one.

Page 3 of that booklet thing says:

You may find that you only sit a few of these tests. If your scores suggest that the Train Driver job is not a good match for you, or that you would find the training difficult you may not be required to take all parts of the assessment process. However, if you do well, you will be asked to sit all of the exercises and therefore stay all day at the assessment centre. Please be aware that you may also be asked to sit the assessment process across a number of stages.

 

[Sorcerer]

Page 3 of that booklet thing says:

You may find that you only sit a few of these tests. If your scores suggest that the Train Driver job is not a good match for you, or that you would find the training difficult you may not be required to take all parts of the assessment process. However, if you do well, you will be asked to sit all of the exercises and therefore stay all day at the assessment centre. Please be aware that you may also be asked to sit the assessment process across a number of stages.

According to Avanti, the computer assessments and CBI interview are Stage 5 of the assessment while these paper-based tests are Stage 4, and based on the email that I have also received along with what other people are saying, the situation looks to be doing paper-based assessments for people who haven't sat them before and will be invited back at a later stage to do computer tests if successful. The OPC haven't told me in my email that I will be sitting any more than three tests and I feel like it would've been important to mention that in the email instead of just the booklet, because that along with other things I'm hearing is confusing. I think for now I'll print off all the practice exercises just in case both stages are done in a single day rather than just the first ones. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Chippychips]

According to Avanti, the computer assessments and CBI interview are Stage 5 of the assessment while these paper-based tests are Stage 4, and based on the email that I have also received along with what other people are saying, the situation looks to be doing paper-based assessments for people who haven't sat them before and will be invited back at a later stage to do computer tests if successful. The OPC haven't told me in my email that I will be sitting any more than three tests and I feel like it would've been important to mention that in the email instead of just the booklet, because that along with other things I'm hearing is confusing. I think for now I'll print off all the practice exercises just in case both stages are done in a single day rather than just the first ones. Better safe than sorry.

There's no need to print off the other tests. You are only going to do the (paper) tests that they told you in the email.
But it's whether or not you will sit ALL those tests that day.
I.E. say for example they start the day with TRP1+2 and they are marking them, if you didn’t reach the desired mark for it then the assessors/Avanti may send you home as its not in their reasonable interests to let you participate in GB or TEA-Occ.
(Many TOCs do it this way, others don’t)

Or It may be a case of letting you do them all and they mark them at the end/inform via email a few days after.

 

[Sorcerer]

There's no need to print off the other tests. You are only going to do the (paper) tests that they told you in the email.
But it's whether or not you will sit ALL those tests that day.
I.E. say for example they start the day with TRP1+2 and they are marking them, if you didn’t reach the desired mark for it then the assessors/Avanti may send you home as its not in their reasonable interests to let you participate in GB or TEA-Occ.
(Many TOCs do it this way, others don’t)

It may be a case of letting you do them all and they mark them at the end/inform via email a few days after.

Thank you so much for clearing this up. I think I'll still probably print out the whole booklet though so I don't need to do it twice, but thank you for clearing up the confusion for me.

 

[Chippychips]

Thank you so much for clearing this up. I think I'll still probably print out the whole booklet though so I don't need to do it twice, but thank you for clearing up the confusion for me.

No problem Merlin

 

[karl grindrod]

I only got national standard on the TEA-Occ, as far as I was told afterwards. According to the OPC I only have to resit TRP1 later this month

How did you find out what standard you achieved, I called the OPC last week and they said they couldn't tell me!? Called the TOC I took them for and they said they couldn't tell me either!!

 

[StaGuardDriver]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between CBI and MMI? Are they the same 6 questions as MMI? Do you get to fill in your answers after the paper test does anyone know Incase you get that far?

 

[BlueMike26]

How did you find out what standard you achieved, I called the OPC last week and they said they couldn't tell me!? Called the TOC I took them for and they said they couldn't tell me either!!

Just going off what I was told when I was debriefed for TPE and sent home. The opc examiner said that while I hadn't met TPE's standard on that specific test, I could go on with an application for other TOCs the next day as long as they were looking for national and not enhanced.

 

[Dec718]

Just going off what I was told when I was debriefed for TPE and sent home. The opc examiner said that while I hadn't met TPE's standard on that specific test, I could go on with an application for other TOCs the next day as long as they were looking for national and not enhanced.

Do you think there’s a big gap between national & enhanced? Seems like you have to be basically perfect to acquire the enhanced pass mark