How to Become an Electrician

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What is the best way to become an electrician?

It can get complicated, with a variety of different job roles and routes to becoming fully qualified, it’s alright to feel a little confused.

Fear not, we have spent a lot of time putting together helpful articles and guides to give you all the information you need, whether you want to become a fully qualified sparky, a domestic specialist or a multi skilled master.

Download our Ultimate Guide to Electrician Careers

Electricians are in demand, more than ever!

A Labour market research carried out by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) has estimated that between 12,500 and 15,000 skilled electricians will be needed over next five years to accommodate forecasted growth in the UK.

Electricians and other skilled trade professionals are among the biggest headache to hire, through shortage; over and above sales, management and executives.

Figures published by gov.uk show that electrical engineers is one of the occupations most in shortage.

This is largely attributed to an ageing workforce coming into retirement.

There is a lack of new entrants to the sector, as a result of apprenticeships or meaningful electrician training routes not being available in recent years.

Becoming an electrician

If you are looking to switch careers, ditch the office job and embark on a more active professional path, then you could find yourself very much in demand.

The main role of an electrician is to install, test and maintain electrical wiring, equipment, appliances and fixtures in a wide range of applications, from domestic to commercial settings.

How do you start out to get qualified as an electrician?

To qualify as an electrician, you need an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification, such as:

Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Electrotechnical Services (Electrical Maintenance)
Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems & Equipment (Buildings, Structure and the Environment)
Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) if part of an apprenticeship.

These qualifications are usually completed while working. You will need additional training if you wish to branch out into solar PV, for example.

Another popular route is to complete an Electrotechnical Apprenticeship.

This combines on-the-job training with study at a college or training centre, and usually lasts for two-four years.

What about becoming multi skilled?

If you are in a trade where you may need to learn basic electrical skills or just intend to work in domestic properties then you may not have to play the long game.

There is a New Entrant Domestic Electrical Installer Programme which starts with the basic electrical installation and safety, covering everything required to install and maintain electrical installations in a domestic setting, such as re-wiring a house or simple jobs such as new sockets and light fittings.

Many gas installers could benefit from safe electrical isolation or learning wiring skills themselves rather than having to use subcontractors.

To learn those skills you could take a Logic4training’s New Entrants Domestic Electrical Installer Course.

The course takes around 4 weeks to complete and includes training and assessment on all the essential aspects of the profession, delivered by our expert trainers.

Qualifications gained from the course include:

Domestic Electrical Installer Part-P course

City & Guilds 18th Edition Wiring Regulations course/ – level 3

Level3 RQF qualification in Initial Verification & Certification of Electrical Installations/ – level 3

After successfully completing the New Entrant Domestic Electrical Installer course you will be able to progress to the LCL L3 Certificate in Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installations in Dwellings course which will allow you to join an electrical competent persons’ scheme.