From Solicitor to Plumber: How people are retraining to cope during the coronavirus pandemic

ITV News, 24th September 2020

Access Training is being featured on an ITV Tonight special programme presented by Robert Peston titled, ‘Can We Save Our Jobs’, investigating the prospects of life after furlough. The programme, as you will see, highlights the trials and tribulations of the last 6 months of furlough: 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."

Jimmy Adkins, Access Training Academies Tutor speaking to Robert Peston from ITV

The programme details a range of students already at Access Training, who have made the wise decision to begin a career in the trade industry, as a result of the large-scale effects of Covid-19. They have left their rapidly sinking jobs and have retrained as anything they wanted, regardless of their experience: cab drivers becoming plumbers, chefs becoming gas engineers – even solicitors are jumping on the bandwagon. If that’s not a sign for optimism and hope, then I don’t know what is. 

Talking to Peston, our gas tutor Jimmy Adkins gives an excellent summary of the situation, detailing how construction courses are now in such high demand.

"It went absolutely crazy. Guys who’ve 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."

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 the 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, and the situation at home expecting a baby and so forth, and my partner also being in the hospitality industry. So both of us sitting on furlough, you can imagine the stress that we were getting from that."

 ITV Tonight - Watch here 

Chris very wisely decided that retraining as a plumber would secure his wife and young family’s future in these increasingly unsettling and unstable times. But 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. 

With new furlough developments underway, allowing more free time for workers for the same pay, why not make the most of this opportunity to get trained? For those who don’t use this time carefully and sensibly, they could end up in the very same position of worry and anxiety when the next six months of furlough come to an end. This means more uncertainty, more struggling to get by, and more people out of work. You could be one of those people.

But you could also be like one of the people in Peston’s programme, who took the right steps at the right time to become a qualified tradesperson; who invested in their careers, and became 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. 

"Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, demand for construction courses has gone through the roof, as many fear they will never be able to return to their previous work."

Demand is high, and the time is now. Take the initiative, take the leap. Enrol on a course today.

Learn your trade. Get qualified. Make it happen.

Are you looking for an alternative to university? Or perhaps you're thinking of changing careers and you're keen to do something a bit more hands-on? Either way, our training courses are exactly what you're after!

Here at Access Training Academies, we offer a range of short and intensive training courses that are designed help you start your new job quickly, even if you've no prior trade experience to speak of. We can help you to get qualified in a number of different professions, including:

• Carpentry
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• Plastering
• Gas

Our extensive course catalogue has something for everyone, and we tailor our training programmes to fit your needs and lifestyle. Whether you're looking for an intensive fast-track course or something that allows you to study alongside your present job, we can help you find the best way to learn. Our aim is to get you qualified as quickly as possible so that you can begin your new career and start earning right away.

If this sounds like the right choice for you and you'd like to get started on the road to your new job, please do not hesitate to contact our course advisers!

With most people now working well into their 60s (if not later), it's important to choose a career that you're likely to enjoy. As those who have taken an Access Training electrical course will know, electricians make good money, often get to choose their own hours, and are in very high demand in the UK right now. But is being an electrician fun? Is it a job that people genuinely enjoy, or just another way to pay the bills?

The answer mostly depends on what you personally enjoy doing. We find that most of our graduates very much enjoy their new line of work, but it's good to find out if it’s something you’ll like before you start your electrical training.

With that in mind, here are few things to consider:

Do you find fixing things rewarding?

One of the things electricians most enjoy about their job is the satisfaction of fixing things. Having to work out what’s wrong and then correct the problem takes a lot of knowledge – if you like problem solving, you’ll probably find being an electrician fun!

Do you like being active?

You may not realise what an active life electricians lead. A typical day can include climbing up and down stairs, scaffolding and ladders many times. You may also have to crawl into small places. Either way, you'll need to be in relatively good shape. It’s far from an office job, so if you don’t like getting up and about then you may not find the job too fun.

Do you want a job with variety?

Being an electrician gives you the freedom to explore new work every day. You aren’t confined to one place and this means you’ll have lots of different experiences and meet lots of different people. Many electricians love that they constantly get to switch up their daily routine, finding a lot of fun in the diversity of the job.

For more information on what it’s like to be an electrician, feel free to contact us today. Alternatively, click here to view our electrical training packages.

Has your job become stale and unsatisfying? Perhaps you've reached a dead end in your career, and feel that you aren't fulfilling your potential?

There are many reasons why your working life might have begun to feel dissatisfying, but many of these reasons can be resolved by taking action and becoming your own boss. Don't worry - you won't be alone!

Thousands of people in the UK alone have already taken the opportunity to change careers and work for themselves. Want to know why? Here are 5 advantages of being your own boss...

1. Choose your working hours.

Being your own boss means, first and foremost, that you can have full autonomy over your working week. This is a major benefit of becoming your own boss: you decide when you work and how long you work for, as opposed to spending most of your working day being told what to do and how to do it.

This autonomy means that you don't have to follow the orders of a nagging employer; furthermore, studies around the world have shown that the ability to choose one's working schedule improves general well-being at work, meaning you are more inclined to want to work harder and better.

2. Realise your full potential.

Having full control over your working pattern allows you to really push yourself and achieve your full potential. As well as having a flexible diary, you can also work as much or as little as you wish, without feeling confined or pushed to the limits by the standard 9-5 hours of your previous job.

This way, you can reach your full potential at your own pace, and being your own boss is the best way to achieve this.

3. Master your trade.

If your current career doesn't require any specific skills that you can develop or improve upon, you might begin to feel disengaged. The desire to have a skill or occupation that requires practice and patience - something that never comes to a dead end and is always giving you new goals and objectives to complete - is inherent in humans.

If you aren't working towards perfecting a certain skill, you might easily become bored and restless. Working as a tradesperson frequently brings up surprises or new challenges that allow you to keep enjoying and focusing on the work you're doing, meaning that you're always engaged.

Being your own boss means you can essentially choose what jobs you want to tackle, meaning each job is always different to the last in some way.

4. Gain a sense of purpose.

Having a sense of purpose is essential to maintaining your enthusiasm in your job. If you feel like you are easily replaceable and the work you do is of no great worth, you are more likely to lose interest in it.

Tradespeople are a vital, respected part of society and have been so since the beginning of modern civilisation. For as long as a population grows and needs houses built, repairs made and new appliances installed, there will always be a place for tradespeople in society. So there is little chance of feeling undervalued if you start your own plumbing or carpentry business!

5. Take the brakes off your income.

If you are employed by someone else and receiving a fixed income, then no matter how hard you work, it will always be a struggle to raise your salary. However, one of the greatest benefits of being your own boss is that you have more control over how much you earn. When you're no longer at the mercy of annual performance reviews, your earnings will depend entirely on how hard you work and the opportunities you are able to find.

As your career progresses, you will be the one to reap the rewards, which will not only be of huge benefit to you financially, but will also give you a greater sense of achievement.

Hundreds of Access Training students have gone on to do just this and use the skills and qualifications they learned at our training centres to start their own businesses and enjoy the freedom that this brings.

Browse Trade Courses >

If you've had enough of working for other people and seek the freedom that comes with being your own boss, enquire today about a course at Access Training or call us on 0800 345 7492. With the help of our course advisers, you're bound to find the right trade course for you.

The steps to retrain and start a new career aren't quite as hard as many people think, but there's always one obstacle that makes the decision much harder than it needs to be - fear. The fear of it not quite working out, the fear of what other people might think of your new career path, the fear of struggling to find (and pass) the training you require...these and many other fears are preventing people from making their dreams come true. However, these fears will only stop you if you let them, and this can be avoided with three simple steps to helping that dream career become a reality.

Play to your strengths

The various construction/trade industries all rely on different skillsets that realistically may or may not be suitable. Trades such as bricklaying or plastering place greater emphasis on physical strength and stamina, while electrical and gas engineering training require more theory knowledge and calculating skills. Knowing what you excel at is the key to making your new career a success, but be sure to also do a good amount of research into your potential new career before starting down the path. What qualifications do you need? Where can you train? What will the course entail? These are the kind of questions you should be asking, and ones that our team of course advisors would also be happy to answer for you.

Take it one step at a time

Even if you're dead-set on what you want to do with your life, the thought of rushing into a new career can still be incredibly daunting. At the same time, procrastinating can also doom something to failure before it's even gotten properly off the ground. Don't just make a website or twitter and then leave it to die; instead, wait until you're good and ready to do things like that . Take it slowly - we've already mentioned research, so move on to writing your goals down on paper. Discuss your plans with friends and family - you never know, they might have work that needs doing that you can eventually take on or even have some handy contacts in the industry. Come to one of our training centres, have a look around, and discuss your needs with our course advisors. Then, when you feel ready, you can book the date for your training course and have plenty of time to prepare yourself.

Prepare a safety net

While we by no means think failure is a likely thing (in fact, we're confident it'll be quite the opposite), it would be wrong of you to not prepare for the worst just as a precautionary measure. Make sure you have an idea of where you could turn for a job should your new career not turn out the way you expect, and then once that's written down, keep it safe and you need never think about it again unless it comes up. It's also good to be sure you have ample finances to keep yourself afloat while you're training. If you're currently employed you might want to hold onto that job for as long as possible while you retrain. This is why we've made our courses flexible - so that you can train when you have the time.

That should get some of the fear out of the way! Now, here are some very real facts that demonstrate why now is the time to start a new career as a professional plumber, electrician, gas engineer or construction worker. The UK is always short of professional tradespeople to perform all kinds of domestic installations and fixings, and with new housebuilding on the rise that shortage is only going to increase. There simply aren't enough bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters and tilers around to help set the houses up, and even when there are, where are the electricians, plumbers and decorators who are able to turn that house into a home?

Construction/trade careers are cited among the happiest around, offering the right level of challenge to match the skills required. The hours and pay rate are enviable too, especially if you choose to go self-employed!

Still, there's no wrong time to start a new career. These trades aren't just a young man's game, nor are they something best suited only to older people; if you've got the drive and dedication to earn your qualifications and make the dream come true, then you're exactly what employers are looking for.

To find out more about what's on offer here at Access Training, give us a call on 0800 345 7492. Keep your end goal in sight, and then not even fear will be able to stop you.