What should I do

I started working for a non-union commercial contractor in February and worked up to July until I got laid off due to the company getting slow with work and me already telling them I was going to try and get into the union apprenticeship. I applied for the union apprenticeship in June, took my aptitude test the beginning of August, heard that I passed the end of August, and now it's been over a month since I've heard anything back about my interview being scheduled. My previous contractor said they would bring me back and I could still enroll to the IEC before November. What do you guys think I should do? If I wait for the union I wouldn't be able to start school until August of 2025. But if I went the IEC route I would be going into my second year by then.