A trainee electrician who enrolled on a college course when he was 16 is still waiting to gain his qualification eight years on - despite carrying out all the work he says was required of him.

Callum Aitken took up a four-year apprenticeship at MidKent College in 2016 with a dream of landing a full-time job in his chosen career.

Since then he has attended the Gillingham campus for weekly theory classes and workshops alongside working on the job under the supervision of his employer in Sittingbourne.

But Callum said he had been dogged with hurdles on the way to achieving his goal, including a lack of assessors to mark and sign off his work, tutors leaving suddenly and his coursework being misplaced.

The lack of qualification has hit the 24-year-old in the pocket as he earns a fraction of what a fully trained electrician takes home, which could be up to £360 a day.

He told KentOnline: “My boss has been very supportive and I earn above the apprentice wage, about £80 a day.

“But at the age of 24, I would be expecting perhaps to be running my own business.

“It’s holding me up. I can’t afford to rent a place of my own and I can’t go out socialising with my mates as much.”

To compound matters, the City and Guilds, which awards the NVQ diploma, is removing the course next summer and students are being asked to submit all knowledge and competency units by the end of July for marking.

But Callum, a former Howard School in Rainham pupil, described this as an “impossible deadline” as there were still many tasks that had not been assigned to him.

He also said he was not an isolated case and of the 20 or so students who embarked on the City and Guilds Level 3 NVQ diploma course when he did, only a handful remained.

The electrician added: “They have either paid for the course independently or got more lucrative jobs.

“I’ve invested too much time in this. If I gave up now I’d be back to square one. It would be like leaving school.”

I feel resentful, as though I’ve been forgotten

Callum, who rents a room at the home of his girlfriend’s grandfather in Halling, near Rochester, said he did not have the £9,000 it would cost to complete the diploma privately.

He added: “It’s all very well to blame delays on Covid and lockdown, but that was just a blip.

“I feel resentful, as though I’ve been forgotten.”

His boss Charl Alberts, director of First Fix Electrics in Sittingbourne, who took him on when he was 16, has complained to the college on his behalf on numerous occasions.

Mr Alberts said: “I have trained him and I know he is competent and a genuinely trustworthy person.

“I have asked what is going on and not really been given answers.

“He should be doing his own thing now. Instead, because he’s not qualified we have to supervise him and sign off his work.

“It’s ridiculous. It’s hampering him and it’s hampering us.”

A spokesman for MidKent College acknowledged delays but said they were working to hard deadlines beyond their control.

“This qualification normally takes four years to complete,” he explained. “The staffing issue (lack of assessor) referred to was pre-Covid, which is obviously quite some time ago now, and work with Callum was instigated by the department as soon as lockdowns were lifted to try and get things back on track.

”Callum is now progressing very well, is submitting evidence, and engaging well with his NVQ assessor. His assessor is confident that if he maintains his current pace and remains engaged, he should complete his portfolio by June.

“All students were advised to have all work completed by the end of May 2024 to allow for us to compile and present portfolios to City and Guilds, the awarding body.

We’re working on a hard deadline from the awarding body over which we can’t change

“Once City and Guilds complete their Quality Assurance (QA) processes, Callum will need to sit the final exam – the AM2 exam (which can’t be completed until City and Guilds sign-off his knowledge and competency units).

“Based on our experience, we anticipate that the QA process can take up to six months.”

City and Guilds are removing the qualification and have given an expiry date of May 2025.

Callum has been asked to submit any outstanding work by the end of the month.

The college says this is to ensure they give the awarding body sufficient time to complete their QA processes, and for Callum to undertake any remedial work that they may identify before the qualification is withdrawn.

With regards to a formal extension, they said they will continue to support Callum until all of the work is complete, but he needs to have his NVQ complete by July 2024 at the latest to allow for the required QA from City and Guilds.

The spokesman added: “We’re working on a hard deadline from the awarding body over which we can’t change.

”The end of the academic year and accompanying deadlines can be stressful for students, and we’re here to support them.”

He also said they were not aware of any complaints from Callum or his employer, and there are no indications from his tutor that he is struggling.

However, since KentOnline got in touch they have asked a director to call him to discuss this matter with him and give him some reassurance about the work they say he still needs to complete, and the timeframe needed to complete it.