The pandemic has turned everything on its head. Months locked away, millions of people being furloughed and having to put a mask on every time you step into a shop, are all something out of an episode of Black Mirror rather than real life.

All this disruption has not been good for the economy. The Bank of England has said that unemployment is set to double by the end of 2020 and the number of job vacancies is at its lowest point since records began. This has been worsened by the withdrawal of the furlough scheme and many industries are set to lay off thousands of staff as a result.

Some people have been affected more than others. Cabbies, chefs, bar staff, waiters, comedians, musicians and many other people in the ‘night-time’ sector, have seen a drastic drop in demand. The good news is it’s not all doom and gloom. Some people are making the best out of a bad situation, and are looking to retrain by learning a new trade.

Our partner, Access Training, is a great organisation that are helping people to retrain and upskill. They have training courses in plumbing, electrical work, gas fitting, amongst a whole load of different trades in the construction industry. They have six academies in the UK and aim to fast-track your career using their online/practical training and offer post-qualification support. Their no-nonsense tag line sums them up: Learn your trade. Get qualified. Make it happen.

Access Training was featured on ITV’s Can We Save Our Jobs. Since lockdown began, Access Training has seen demand for their construction industry training courses go through the roof. ITV’s Chief Political Correspondent, Robert Peston, spoke with Jimmy Atkins from Access Training:

“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.”

Jimmy’s enthusiasm to help people retrain and achieve their goals shone throughout the interview. One of the students, Chris Kruger, was also interviewed by ITV. Chris is a chef, but is retraining to become a gas engineer. Working within the hospitality sector is a very stressful time at the moment, but he is making the best out of a bad situation.

“Not knowing whether things [at work] were going to go back to normal. Whether I would still have a job and the situation at home expecting a baby, 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.”

With a lot of people saving more over lockdown, why not invest this money into your future? Access Training offers a wide range of courses to help you retrain and get a foothold in the construction industry (take a look here). We’ll leave you with some great words from Jimmy Atkins:

“Anybody who’s lost their job, been made redundant. My advice is don’t be afraid. With hard work, preparation and the right training of course. You can do anything you want.”