Level 2 Motor Vehicle College course not funded due to me turning 19 in May

Airbus2025

I have almost finished L1 of Motor Vehicle, due to finish in about 2 weeks - I have been wanting to apply for Lvl 2 however found out due to me turning 19 in May I will not be eligible for funding anymore. Thought 'oh no worries, I should be able to apply for a student loan...right?' Well, it went as well as you could expect. Spoke to the college today about it and they have said that I would not be eligible as it is a Level 2 course, and student loans only apply to Level 3 and up (Seems to be the same with an Advanced Learner Loan). Going off last year's fees for the course, I would be looking at around £5,500 for the course itself, and with transport fees on top we are closing in on circa £6.3k. I enjoy the course and would rather stay than have to travel to another college as transport fees would only get bigger due to getting trains (Closest other colleges are Lincoln and Grantham, both requiring trains).

Being in a low-income family on financial support (UC and I claim PIP), we have no means at all to be able to pay the fee upfront, let alone over the 12 months that they would offer through flex pay. Is there any hope of getting it covered fully or am I SOL? I even looked for potential grants and it seems my college are no longer registered (via OfS).

Any advice would be appreciated as I need to know where I stand before the applications for L2 open up again, and if I need to start saving beforehand. I do not mind the sound of an apprenticeship however travel will be the main concern as I cannot afford the daily expenses unless it gets covered by bus pass(es)

TIA!

Harrison