Termination of Apprenticeship - advice

[voluptuousverity]

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone with any HR experience can help on this one.

My 17 YO DS has today been let go by his employer. After 10 months of working they had given him a 4 week period to improve timekeeping and performance at college. In that 4 weeks it turned out that he has only worked 7 days and 3 of those he was collected.

On the days he did work he was on time, with exception of yesterday when despite getting the first train the journey was over 2.20 hours and he didn't make it for 7.30 am. He advised his manager of this.

College has not yet started back but he has completed homework set and sent to relevant parties. But as he has not been in college he couldn't prove himself there either.

My issue is that in that 4 weeks he hasn't had the full opportunity of the normal 20 days of work to prove himself as they have not had a site for him to work on / someone to work with.

I am actually relieved as he was their first apprentice and they managed things badly from the start. He was expected to get to N&E London for 7.30am despite living on a slow line into London. When the first offered the job he was told he would be collected/dropped home but that changed, in fairness they did tell him this before he started but he was so far down the line and not loving college he went ahead with the job. Also there have been so many occasions (3 full weeks in Aug) they couldn't give him a site to work on, although he did get paid.

He is already applying for other roles and I don't want him to have to say they let him go when he didn't have the chance to prove himself. Is there anyway we can get around this ?

TIA for any help or advise offered.

So just to check in the four weeks he was given to improve he wasn't at college and was late once out of 7 days he was working? How many times was he late in the 10 months? From what you say it seems harsh but could there be more to it?

Yes he wasn't at college and was late once. In fairness in the last 2-3 months he was late a few times as he often had to get a train, 2 tubes and a bus and to get there for 7.30 was impossible from where we live. I should have got the college involved and asked them to review his start time.

He had Glandular Fever from Dec to very recently so has been very unwell but only took 2 weeks off although Dr wanted him off longer.

I am not saying he was a 100% perfect employee as he was really ill at times. I am just annoyed that we have to say that he was let go when he didn't get a chance to prove himself in the 4 weeks.

Would they allow him to resign, on the grounds that the commute is proving too difficult? Then if can give that reason on future applications and a reference would back this up.