CTLR IN TRAINING USED WRONG NON RADAR PROC TO SEPARATE MDT DEP FROM ENROUTE OVERFLT AND HAD LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION.

Narrative

MDT X DEPARTED CYS RWY 30 ON DIRECT ROUTE TO SHR. I WAS WORKING LCL CTL AND OBSERVED THE APCH CTLR AND THE FAC MGR; WHO WAS TRNING ON APCH; DISCUSS SEP PROCS TO BE USED BTWN MDT X AND SMT Y; WHO WAS OVERFLYING CYS. I BELIEVE SMT Y WAS ALSO ON A DIRECT ROUTE. THE 2 CTLRS DISCUSSED HOW THE 2 ACFT WOULD BE CONSIDERED ON THE SAME ROUTE AND THEN DISCUSSED UTILIZING THE 22 KT RULE. AS I WAS LISTENING TO THEM DISCUSS THIS RULE IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THAT WOULD BE A LEVEL TRANSITION AND THAT YOU CANNOT USE THE 22 KT RULE WITH A DEP IN THE LEAD BECAUSE HE IS A CLBING ACFT AND THEREFORE NOT 22 KTS FASTER; AS MDT X WAS THE DEP. HOWEVER; SINCE I AM TRNING ON APCH; I FELT MAYBE I WAS WRONG AND SAID NOTHING. I HEARD THE APCH CTLR TRNEE (SUPVR) CLR MDT X TO CLB TO FL200 OR FL220 AFTER ASKING SMT Y 'SAY DME;' WHICH SMT Y RESPONDED. NEXT ZDV CALLED; SECTOR 22 AND APPARENTLY ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NOT ADEQUATE SEP. I OBSERVED TRNEE ISSUING TFC TO SMT Y IN THE MDT X AND THEN CALLING ZDV SECTOR 22 CTLR BACK AND SAYING THAT THE SMT Y HAD VISUAL SEP WITH THE MDT X. THERE WAS APPARENTLY ONLY 1/3 MI BTWN THE 2 ACFT WHEN MDT X CLBED THROUGH THE ALT OF SMT Y. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SYS ERROR: WRONG UNDERSTANDING OF THE 22 KT RULE FROM THE 7110.65; WRONG INTERP OF VISUAL SEP--VISUAL SEP MUST HAVE ANOTHER SEP BEFORE AND AFTER APPLYING IT; APCH CTLR AND TRNEE (SUPVR) LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON APCH CTL PROCS; APCH CTLR'S NOT VERIFYING THE POS OF SMT Y AND THE FPL CTLR TRNING THE SUPVR DID NOT STEP IN WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE TO STOP THIS ALMOST CRITICAL SITUATION (HOWEVER; SINCE HE INITIATED THE APPLICATION OF HIS INTERP OF THE 22 KT RULE; I DOUBT HE COULD HAVE KNOWN THIS SITUATION WAS ARISING). SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 90049: ON 6/FRI/88 I WAS OFF WORK; HOWEVER HEARD THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED. I ALSO HEARD THAT THIS HAD BEEN RPTED. HOWEVER; SINCE THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION; I FELT THAT I SHOULD RPT IT; IN THE EVENT IT HASN'T BEEN RPTED. THIS MUST BE INVESTIGATED.