SUPERVISORY CTLR CONDUCTING A CERTIFICATION CHK ON A NEW CTLR BECAME DISTRACTED AND DID NOT NOTICE AN ACFT DEPART WITHOUT A CLRNC.

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I WAS CONDUCTING A CERTIFICATION CHK ON A NEW FAA CTLR. HE WAS DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB BUT AS IS THE CASE SOMETHING CAME UP THAT WAS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE CORRECT. TFC WAS LIGHT SO I PICKED UP THE ATP (MISTAKE #1 DISTR). WHILE I WAS RESEARCHING; MY TRAINEE CLRED A CESSNA 172 FOR TKOF; THEN PUT A D328 INTO POS TO HOLD WHILE THE C172 CLRED THE DEP CORRIDOR. THE TRAINEE COORDINATED A RELEASE AND A HEADING WITH DEP CTL. AS THE TRAINEE TURNED BACK TO ISSUE THE DEP CLRNC AND HEADING TO THE D328 HE WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE D328 ROTATING IN HIS TKOF ROLL. HE RESPONDED QUICKLY TO ISSUE THE HEADING ASSIGNED BY RADAR AND CONTINUED TO HANDLE THE FLT AS NORMAL. WE INFORMED THE PLT TO CALL THE TWR AS REQUIRED AND SWITCHED HIM TO DEP. THE COORD WITH RADAR TOOK 15-30 SECONDS BEFORE THE RESCAN CAUGHT THE D328 ROTATING; THAT'S A LONG TIME IN THIS BUSINESS. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE IT PRESENTED ME WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBSERVE THE TRAINEE HANDLE UNUSUAL SITS. NOT THAT LOOKING IN A BOOK CAUSED OR NOT LOOKING COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE MISIDENT BUT DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR PRIMARY JOB IN THIS PROFESSION IS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 543896: BOTH PLTS WERE SURE OF THE TKOF CLRNC WHEN INDEED THE ACFT WAS CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD. THERE WAS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH A PREVIOUS DEP BUT THE CONFLICT WAS AVOIDED BY AN ATC VECTOR. ATC REVIEWED THE TAPE WHICH SHOWED THAT THE CREW WAS IN ERROR. NORMALLY WHEN A CLRNC IS IN QUESTION THE PLT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC WILL CLARIFY WITH ATC. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN THIS INSTANCE. THE PF DID QUESTION THE CLRNC BUT DID NOT VERIFY WITH ATC VIA THE PNF.