John,
I agree with your comment.
When I first started as an Electrician's Apprentice I was handed a Broom and a cleaning cloth.
I never even saw a roll of cable for the first 3-6 months of my apprenticeship, let alone install any.
And when I started my "time" as a Line Mechanic, I was handed a Can of White Paint and a 4" Paint-brush to paint the lower 5 foot of every power pole, on the corner of the roads in town here.
BTW, I'm just talking the bare minimum of tools here.
Things like power drills and so forth are usually company supplied, over here, unless you work for a real mean person.
I mentioned the Robertson Square Drive, because these screwdrivers have become a necessity here, Builders use these screws for everything and it also saves homeowners from tampering with your work, to a small extent, where they would not normally own one of these screwdrivers and it's only Trade outlets over here that sell them, as far as I'm aware.
I'd also add the following tools:
- Hacksaw
- Conduit/Capping Cutters
- Good Calculator(You know the kiddies can't work things out in thier heads anymore)
- Decent Torch