Screwed over by my apprenticeship
I’m a 23-year-old apprentice electrician. About a year ago, I started an apprenticeship straight after completing my Level 3 at college. I was lucky to get in directly, and I joined an electrical apprenticeship agency that specialises in Section 106 placements. From what I understand, they work with local councils to place apprentices on sites near where they live.
I initially worked on one site for around 9 months before the main contractor’s contract ended. After that, I was put on “displacement” for 3 months. During that time I was still receiving half a week’s pay, which in hindsight was probably a major red flag, but I ignored it because I was desperate to stay in the trade and keep progressing.
Eventually, the agency renewed a contract with the same site, and I went back for another 7 months. Then the contract ended again, and I’ve now been waiting another 4 months without a proper placement.
I should probably have left the agency much earlier, but the contract stated that if I left I’d have to repay the college fees they enrolled me into, which kept me stuck there. For the first 2 months of this latest displacement period I was still getting full pay, until they told me they had supposedly found another site for me and would update me soon. Around the same time, they also said they would stop my pay because I’d been on displacement for too long and the “search” for a new site had concluded.
Weeks have passed since then. I’ve emailed and messaged multiple times asking for updates about this new site, but I’ve heard nothing meaningful back. At this point, I genuinely think the site may never have existed and that they were just stringing me along.
According to the contract, if they fail to place me on a site within a certain timeframe, I’ll be removed from both the apprenticeship and the college course. I’ve also recently found out that my apprenticeship coordinator has left, and there’s now basically nobody competent to contact. Honestly, it feels like the agency has effectively folded.
In the meantime, I’ve been working as a labourer to keep myself afloat. Ironically, it pays pretty well, but I’m trying to move back into electrical work by finding electrical mate roles. The problem is that those jobs are difficult to come by.
I know a lot of this is ultimately my own fault. I stayed because I didn’t have the confidence to leave and start over somewhere else. Now that I’m no longer in the 16–19 age bracket, I’m wondering whether I should just focus on finding mate roles instead of trying to continue the apprenticeship route.
I also don’t really feel confident calling myself an improver because these long periods without site work have badly interrupted my experience and development.
Also I used AI to polish my text as English isnt my first language but it is 100% accurate to what is happening.