College apprentice students struggle during Covid-19 pandemic

College students all over the UK have struggled during the pandemic as 263 petitions are put forward for the UK Government, asking them to shut educational institutions.

During 2020, coronavirus has caused multiple problems for students trying to get an education – classes being forced to move online, work experience cancelled, and graduation being put on hold. This is due to the two lockdowns: one of which was a 4-week lockdown that started in March 2020 and the second for a month that started in November.

One of the petitions is asking that the Government should “reclose schools and colleges due to increase of Covid-19 cases” and so far, has received over four hundred thousand signatures.

One Portsmouth college apprentice, named Craig Cooper, has stated that their life has been “a misery” as of late, he said:  “The pandemic has caused me to lose my job, all because they didn’t want to pay me furlough, which has put my qualification on hold. To become a plumber, I need to prove myself and my ability to do tasks on new builds – I cannot do that during a pandemic. It is a catch 22: I cannot get experience without a qualification and I can’t get a qualification without experience”

“I am 100% not getting enough support from my college, they’ve just told me to try my best and to do the course while at home, but in my eyes, pretending to do the jobs I’m supposed to be learning on site is cheating. My hopes have been crushed and my life is now on hold”