From Solicitor to Plumber: How People Are Retraining to Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic
ITV News, 24th September 2020
Access Training was recently featured on a special edition of ITV's Tonight. Titled 'Can We Save Our Jobs?' and presented by Robert Peston, the programme highlighted the trials and tribulations that people have endured while on furlough during the coronavirus pandemic: the stress of having no work, the strain of having to provide for your family, and the hopelessness of a jobless future.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
"Anybody who's lost their job... my advice is don't be afraid. With hard work and the right training... you can do anything that you want."
Access Training tutor Jimmy Adkins, speaking to ITV's Robert Peston
The programme featured several Access Training students - people from a variety of backgrounds who felt the economic impact of the pandemic and made the wise decision to pursue a career in the trade industry. Chefs have become gas engineers, cab drivers have taken up plumbing, and even solicitors are jumping on the bandwagon.
Talking to Peston, our gas tutor Jimmy Adkins gives an excellent summary of the situation, detailing the enormous spike in demand for construction courses that followed the COVID-19 crisis:
"It went absolutely crazy. Guys have come from all sorts of backgrounds - taxi drivers, entertainment, even to the point where I've had some solicitors because they're unsure of whether they're ever going to go back to working in the office."
Access Training tutor Jimmy Adkins
One of our students, Chris Kruger, was also interviewed for the programme. Chris recently left his job as a chef, citing job uncertainty as the main reason for this decision. He speaks of the "very stressful and very worrying" threat to his job, and indeed the whole catering industry:
"Not knowing whether things were going to go back to normal, whether I would still have a job, the situation at home - expecting a baby and so forth - and my partner also being in the hospitality industry... both of us sitting on furlough, you can imagine the stress."
Access Training student Chris Kruger
ITV Tonight: Can We Save Our Jobs?
Chris very wisely decided that retraining as a plumber would secure his young family's future in these increasingly unsettling and unstable times. Instead of sitting back and letting everything crumble around him, Chris took it upon himself to prepare for the future: "I just said, no, I need to utilise this time to study."
If Chris can do it, so can you. The furlough scheme has now ended, but the pandemic is ongoing and there is still a lot of uncertainty about the future - especially in sectors like entertainment and hospitality, which were hit especially hard by Covid and which will bear the brunt of any future lockdowns.
The Access Training students who appeared on ITV's Tonight programme took the right steps at the right time to become qualified tradespeople. They invested in their careers, and made the choice to be proactive and determined.
Access Training can be your stepping stone to a secure and fulfilling career; the safety net you need in these unforgiving times.
Demand is high, and the time is now. Take the initiative today - get in touch now to speak to a course advisor.
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If you haven’t noticed already, we have a brand new website! Our friends over at Designer Websites, who helped us out with our last website re-design back in 2015, have once again proved their capabilities and professionalism to bring our current website up-to-date with a new, attractive look and feel!
All of the great, important features that we included in our last re-design, such as the ‘course finder’ function has remained – so there should be no worries about having any difficulties finding the information or course you need. In fact, with our new design, locating the essential information you want regarding our range of courses is now even easier, with simplified menus and website copy. Something which was high on our priority list for the new design. As well as having updated pages for all of our existing courses in the electrical, gas, plumbing and construction industry, we now offer fantastic courses in the IT sector! These can now be viewed and applied for today!
We hope you enjoy navigating and using our new website just as much as we do! If you have any questions or want to enquire about one of our courses, click below today!
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As we get older, it can sometimes feel like our career options are slipping away from us; like once we have picked a direction, it’s impossible to change course. In reality, it’s never too late to retrain and learn some different skills – our adult training courses are designed to help you make the change you want, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
Whether you are a complete beginner or an established tradesperson hoping to enhance your skills, our adult training courses can help you to achieve the qualifications your need to achieve your career ambitions.
Some of the adult training courses we offer include:
For a full list of all the courses we offer here at Access Training, visit our homepage.
Why Get Qualified With Access Training’s Adult Courses?
We offer a diverse range of training courses to suit every one of our learners, whether you're a beginner or a professional. Our intensive adult training courses are designed to get you qualified in the shortest possible timeframe so that you can begin working as soon as possible. Rather than spending 3 to 4 years training in college and completing an apprenticeship, you can start earning within months.
Our courses are also perfect for adults who have other life commitments such as work or family, as they are flexible enough to be tailored to your availability. This means you can learn at your own pace whilst maintaining other work and home responsibilities. We even offer live online learning, so you can start your training course at home!
If you want to make a change in your career, our advisors are more than happy to help you find a course that suits your goals. We will work with you to get you to where you need to be - contact us today for advice!
Browse our training courses >
Learn your trade. Get qualified. Make it happen.
Last updated 5th July 2022
We could go on and on about why we feel Access Training is the best place to come for your trade qualifications, but our words don't mean anything unless the students we train can attest to the quality we aim to deliver. That's why we're going to start showcasing some of the positive feedback we've received about our range of intensive training courses, so that any of you reading that are on the fence can see that we really are dedicated to giving our candidates the best qualifications and practical trades training available. You can read more of the testimonials we've received in the past here.
After spending several years abroad, Mark Todd came home to kick start his new career on our Intensive Carpentry training course…
After leaving the Royal Marines around four years ago I got into working on maritime security on ships in East Africa. However after about 3 years I wanted to get a career back home, and I’ve always had an interest in carpentry. I’ve done a few little jobs here and there in the past but wanted to take it a bit further and get qualified.
I was originally going to go back to college but obviously that would have taken around two years to do. With Access Academies I’ve been able to come here and do the course in two months which has been so much better. I’ve come out of the course finishing on a Friday, then gone straight into a job the following Monday.
The eight weeks I’ve spent here have been excellent and I’ve really enjoyed my time. The tutors have been absolutely brilliant – I’ve learnt so much from them and they are always ready to give any advice you need. Not just with the work we do here, but if we’ve got anything else going on outside they’ll do the best they can to help which is really good of them to do off of their own backs. It really gets you raring to go – it got to the point in the last week where I just wanted to get out there and start working.
I’m about to start work with two carpenters doing some refurbishment in a nursing home. The work is ongoing, it’s local and I’ll be picking up experience from people who have been in the trade for 20 years each. Right now I still feel the need to carry on my learning. I plan to self-employed eventually but for the next six months to a year I’m just going to try and pick up as much experience as I can so I’ll be fully prepared.
- Mark Todd, Swansea
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Have you considered stepping into a brand new career and becoming a fully qualified tradesperson? Here at Access Training Academies we offer a full spectrum of trade courses including plumbing, gas, electricity, carpentry, tiling, plastering and painting & decorating. By training with us not only will you enjoy our state-of-the-art facilities and experienced tutors, but also gain exactly what you need for a long and prosperous career. To find out more please get in contact with our course advisers on 0800 345 7492.