Tips for crate training during the day ?

I got my second puppy in November he is a cardigan welsh corgi same as my older dog.
My first corgi was very easy to train, non destructive, fairly independent. He had only a couple accidents inside and has been house broken since. We were lucky enough that when we got him we were living with a family member that was able to keep an eye on him during the day when i couldnt bring him to work. He would stay in his play pen when he wasnt out for potty breaks or play time. He slept in the play pen at night until he could hold his bladder through the night then moved into our bed. By the time we moved he was around a year old and we have always left him alone with zero incidents.
My new puppy is much less independent. Ive been off work since i got him (laid off) and have been trying to get him used to the crate. He will settle down in his crate if we are home within 2 hours he will still be asleep. But he has to pee about every 2 hours though and if he isnt let out when he needs to go he will whine howl and bark at the top of his lungs. I dont know how long that would last. The longest he has been in the crate is 3 hours. He does get a kong stuffed with peanut butter or wet food, frozen. He can go through it in about 10-20 minutes though. We also give him a non destructive toy to chew.
My problem is that im going back to work soon at a new job, and i live in a basement suite with my landlord above me. I cant have him crying like that for long periods. He will be alone about 6 hours a day, and i will be getting someone to let him out at the 3 hour mark for potty break. I did try leaving him in the play pen with pee pads while i was out for about 3.5-4 hours but somehow he can get out of it and when i got home he was loose with my other dog and had peed all over. So he needs to be in the crate.
Hes just over 3 months old so he should be able to hold his bladder comfortably the 3 hours but yet he still cries. He also can hold it through the night without a potty break. Any tips?