LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION BETWEEN 2 GA ACFT. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

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TWO ENRTE ACFT BOTH ASSIGNED 8000' FLYING THROUGH THE MCI APCH CTL AREA. ONE ACFT; SMA X; WAS NWBND AND THE OTHER SMT Y WAS SWBND ON XING COURSES. THE MERGING TFC WAS ORIGINALLY NOTED BY CTLR WHEN 40 MI APART. GOT INVOLVED WITH OTHER TFC THAT WAS NOT OF ROUTINE NATURE. CTLR AGAIN NOTICED THE ACFT WHEN THEY WERE APPROX 5 MI APART. THE CTLR WATCHING A TRNEE IMMEDIATELY ADVISED THE TRNEE TO TURN X LEFT TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS WHICH WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. THEN; THE TRNEE ADVISED Y TO TURN RIGHT TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS WHICH WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. NEITHER ACFT SEEMED TO BE TURNING; SO THE TRNEE AND CTLR BOTH KEYED THEIR MICS AND ADVISED X TO TURN LEFT IMMEDIATELY TO A HDG OF 180 DEGS; WHICH WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. Y WAS ADVISED TO TURN HDG 360 DEGS WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. THE PLTS SEEMED VERY SLOW AND LAX IN TAKING THE HDG. THE OVERRIDE JACK APPEARED TO NOT BE WORKING AND THE CTLR AND TRNEE WERE CUTTING EACH OTHER OUT WHEN BOTH KEYED IN. THE PLTS TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTIONS ON THEIR OWN. LACK OF AWARENESS ON THE CTLR'S PART. WORKING WITH TRNEE CTLR WHO HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH. PLT'S LACK OF COOPERATION WHEN GIVEN TURNS AS IF THEY HAD ALL KINDS OF TIME. ASSIGNING A TRNEE TO A CTLR THAT HAD TO RECERTIFY AFTER MANY YRS IN STAFF DUTY WHEN HIS JOB WAS ABOLISHED AND HE WAS REASSIGNED TO CTLR DUTY.