Career-change / Apprenticeship at 36. Why can't I get one?
Discussion
Using my secondary account here... I'm about to turn 36. I've worked 7 years in corporate office roles in software sales. Prior to that, 7 years on a big farm.
The tech/software industry is being decimated by AI and at the end of 2025 I got made redundant. I tried to get a similar role but no luck so I've been working a minimum wage job for the past few months. It's been a rather spectacular fall from grace going from £70k (excluding commission) to £28k and I've accepted the fact that the glory days are over.
The past 2-years I'd been thinking about a career-change because I knew sales with soft skills would only last for so long; I want to get into the trades, learn real practical valuable skills where I can see genuine tangible results at the end of the day, and build a longterm valuable career where I can be useful for a long time. My redundancy last year gave me the kick I needed to pursue this change.
7 months on, no luck. I feel like I have a lot of experience- I'm sensible, mature, bring responsibility, have life experience, and I'm not too old to be considered a dinosaur. I've got practical experience from my 7 years farming work (machinery, equipment, hands-on) and communication + organisation from corporate.
I've applied to apprenticeships that take my interest such as:
- gas heating/heat pumps/renewables (not domestic)
- refrigeration maintenance/engineer / HVAC (again, not domestic)
- HGV (heavy goods vehicle) technician
- Fire & Security
Note: These are only Level 3 so only GCSE's are required which I got straight B's in back in 2007 or whenever. I'd say 50% of my applications get no interest, the other 50% I do hear back, whether that be making through to the next round and so on etc.... But there are not many roles actually advertised, despite all the research and people telling me that these industries are screaming out for new people. I see it as a catch-22 situation... companies don't want to invest the time it takes to train someone up, but because they're so busy, don't want to take an experienced engineer off jobs, and will just turn down work instead.
I've attended some assessment centres. National Grid, Vital Energy, a really reputable industrial refrigeration company, had interviews with others etc.
The last straw was at an assessment centre recently that I attended when I was down to the final 5, where I was up against 17-19 year olds for the one role. Someone there was 16 ffs (albeit a for a different location). I KNOW I was the best there. I scored the highest in the practical assessment (stripping and wiring a plug), almost the highest in the "knowledge paper", I felt I did great in my interview, asked questions throughout the day but didn't go too mad with it, made sure I was really enthusiastic (which I genuinely was). The "kids" seemed like they had nothing to them.
All this is burning so much time. Applying, getting a day off work to attend an opportunity, travelling 3-hours by car for another, paying for a Travel Lodge etc. Getting the rejection emails with NO feedback.
I'm genuinely at the point where I do not know why no one wants to take me on. I have savings to supplement the low wage for the first 2-3 years. I know after qualifying I'll probably land on £40k going up to £50-55k after a few years and settling at that which I'm content with. I know how hard I'm willing to work to make this career-change a success. I'm fit, completed a full distance Ironman just less than 2 months, and I'm still relatively young with energy.
I'm Bristol based if anyone has anything going in the areas I've mentioned!
All suggestions are very much welcomed.
The tech/software industry is being decimated by AI and at the end of 2025 I got made redundant. I tried to get a similar role but no luck so I've been working a minimum wage job for the past few months. It's been a rather spectacular fall from grace going from £70k (excluding commission) to £28k and I've accepted the fact that the glory days are over.
The past 2-years I'd been thinking about a career-change because I knew sales with soft skills would only last for so long; I want to get into the trades, learn real practical valuable skills where I can see genuine tangible results at the end of the day, and build a longterm valuable career where I can be useful for a long time. My redundancy last year gave me the kick I needed to pursue this change.
7 months on, no luck. I feel like I have a lot of experience- I'm sensible, mature, bring responsibility, have life experience, and I'm not too old to be considered a dinosaur. I've got practical experience from my 7 years farming work (machinery, equipment, hands-on) and communication + organisation from corporate.
I've applied to apprenticeships that take my interest such as:
- gas heating/heat pumps/renewables (not domestic)
- refrigeration maintenance/engineer / HVAC (again, not domestic)
- HGV (heavy goods vehicle) technician
- Fire & Security
Note: These are only Level 3 so only GCSE's are required which I got straight B's in back in 2007 or whenever. I'd say 50% of my applications get no interest, the other 50% I do hear back, whether that be making through to the next round and so on etc.... But there are not many roles actually advertised, despite all the research and people telling me that these industries are screaming out for new people. I see it as a catch-22 situation... companies don't want to invest the time it takes to train someone up, but because they're so busy, don't want to take an experienced engineer off jobs, and will just turn down work instead.
I've attended some assessment centres. National Grid, Vital Energy, a really reputable industrial refrigeration company, had interviews with others etc.
The last straw was at an assessment centre recently that I attended when I was down to the final 5, where I was up against 17-19 year olds for the one role. Someone there was 16 ffs (albeit a for a different location). I KNOW I was the best there. I scored the highest in the practical assessment (stripping and wiring a plug), almost the highest in the "knowledge paper", I felt I did great in my interview, asked questions throughout the day but didn't go too mad with it, made sure I was really enthusiastic (which I genuinely was). The "kids" seemed like they had nothing to them.
All this is burning so much time. Applying, getting a day off work to attend an opportunity, travelling 3-hours by car for another, paying for a Travel Lodge etc. Getting the rejection emails with NO feedback.
I'm genuinely at the point where I do not know why no one wants to take me on. I have savings to supplement the low wage for the first 2-3 years. I know after qualifying I'll probably land on £40k going up to £50-55k after a few years and settling at that which I'm content with. I know how hard I'm willing to work to make this career-change a success. I'm fit, completed a full distance Ironman just less than 2 months, and I'm still relatively young with energy.
I'm Bristol based if anyone has anything going in the areas I've mentioned!
All suggestions are very much welcomed.
Edited by CarrotsAndCake on Thursday 16th July 20:55
Doofus said:
Can you use some of your savings to get some qualifications so that you're not applying for apprentice level jobs?
I’ve looked into it but working shifts 40hrs a week, I figured it wasn’t possible. Plus I’m sceptical how much help it would actually be or what I could do. I explored Level 2 F-Gas Category 1 regarding refrigeration, but having zero experience I’d need to do a foundation course, spend £4k+ and I could only find a company in South Wales or one further up North, both 1.5hrs drive away. I couldn’t make that work- plus no guarantees of something like that helping. I genuinely would love to do an apprenticeship.
Can you go and work for an agri machinery supplier doing routine maintenance with your knowledge and then move over to heavier stuff (big trailers etc) that would get you onto the HGV track? That's probably the less quals-heavy route from the options you listed above. My pal's son has got an apprenticeship this way but it sounds like they struggle to get good people. Scotland, so not helpful for Bristol - but I would wager that the local agri machinery supply and/or service companies struggle for good people during the harvest season. It obviously depends on whether you could take a works van out and get on with the job (oil changes, filters, belts etc) without needing handholding but it sounds like you could...
I m in fire and security
You ll probably not get a apprenticeship but look out for companies who are taking on trainees. Take a look at this JCI recruiting in Bristol
https://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk/careers/looking-...
I know mitie also offer this, as do trinity, and churches. Most national companies like it as it’s cheap labour and then they don’t pay you a fully fledged engineer wage for a few years
https://uk.indeed.com/m/jobs?q=trainee+fire&l=...
A&E have loads of apprentices and trainees as they re cheap, then you can move onto somewhere good
You ll probably not get a apprenticeship but look out for companies who are taking on trainees. Take a look at this JCI recruiting in Bristol
https://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk/careers/looking-...
I know mitie also offer this, as do trinity, and churches. Most national companies like it as it’s cheap labour and then they don’t pay you a fully fledged engineer wage for a few years
https://uk.indeed.com/m/jobs?q=trainee+fire&l=...
A&E have loads of apprentices and trainees as they re cheap, then you can move onto somewhere good
Edited by Quattr04. on Thursday 16th July 21:56
Edited by Quattr04. on Thursday 16th July 22:01
Quattr04. said:
I m in fire and security
You ll probably not get a apprenticeship but look out for companies who are taking on trainees. Take a look at this JCI recruiting in Bristol
https://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk/careers/looking-...
I know mitie also offer this, as do trinity, and churches. Most national companies like it as it s cheap labour and then they don t pay you a fully fledged engineer wage for a few years
https://uk.indeed.com/m/jobs?q=trainee+fire&l=...
A&E have loads of apprentices and trainees as they re cheap, then you can move onto somewhere good
So I actually applied a few months ago to the Johnson Controls Fire & Security apprenticeship they were recruiting for. I eventually got invited to their assessment centre at very short notice (after me chasing them up) but the day it was on, I was in Austria getting ready for my Ironman. I asked them if they had any other days and they said no. So that was that…You ll probably not get a apprenticeship but look out for companies who are taking on trainees. Take a look at this JCI recruiting in Bristol
https://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk/careers/looking-...
I know mitie also offer this, as do trinity, and churches. Most national companies like it as it s cheap labour and then they don t pay you a fully fledged engineer wage for a few years
https://uk.indeed.com/m/jobs?q=trainee+fire&l=...
A&E have loads of apprentices and trainees as they re cheap, then you can move onto somewhere good
Edited by Quattr04. on Thursday 16th July 21:56
Edited by Quattr04. on Thursday 16th July 22:01
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