How to become an electrician: your step-by-step guide

Understanding the role

Before we delve into the nitty gritty of how to train as an electrician, let’s take a minute to explore why you might want to. What does an electrician actually do, and what makes it such a rewarding career?

What does an electrician do?

Electricians design, install, maintain and repair all the electrical wiring, systems and equipment we use to power and connect our homes, schools, hospitals, shops, factories, warehouses, transportation networks, and any other type of building or setting you can think of.

Having a light fitting installed in your kitchen? You’ll need an electrician. Installing solar panel farms to generate green energy on a massive scale? You need electricians. Powering a hospital where medical equipment is literally keeping people alive? You guessed it – you need electricians.

From domestic work to large-scale commercial and industrial projects, an electrician’s work is varied, challenging, and requires years of training and experience.

And, for the ecologically-minded among you, electricians are a vital part of the UK’s transition to net zero because so much of the technology we’re using to replace fossil fuels and clean up our environment – think solar panels, heat pumps, electric cars, wind turbines, etc. – either produce electricity or use it to function.

What skills does an electrician need?

Being an electrician is a highly skilled job that requires many years of practical training and theoretical study. It’s a job suited to people who are good at:

• Problem solving – whether you’re designing an electrical installation from scratch, or attempting to diagnose a fault, electrical work requires a blend of creative and practical thinking that lends itself perfectly to inquisitive and problem-solving minds.
• Mathematics – from calculating voltages, currents, and resistance, to working out load demands to size circuits and consumer units correctly, electricians use maths more often than many people realise.
• Critical thinking and planning – from designing the optimal layout of circuits in a building to coordinating on large projects involving other trades, critical thinking and organisation are non-negotiable skills for any electrician.

How to get started as an electrician

Next, let’s explore some of the main electrical training routes available to you if you’re looking to become a qualified electrician.

Apprenticeships

Long considered the ‘gold standard’ pathway to becoming a professional electrician, apprenticeships offer an ideal blend of theoretical training and practical experience. Apprenticeships are generally for individuals aged 16 and up who have left full-time education.

Typically, you’ll spend four days on site gaining practical experience from your apprenticeship employer, and a day at college learning the theory. At the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll complete the relevant version of the end-point AM2 assessment and, if you pass, you’ll qualify as an electrician.

One of the main benefits of completing an apprenticeship is the ability to ‘earn while you learn’, as you’ll get a wage from your employer while you’re learning the trade and end up with an industry-recognised Level 3 vocational qualification without racking up student debt.

In England, there are two main apprenticeship pathways depending on the kind of work you’re looking to do.

1. Level 3 Installation and Maintenance Electrician – this will qualify you to undertake electrical work in domestic, commercial, and industrial settings.
2. Level 3 Domestic Electrician – this will qualify you to undertake domestic electrical installations (i.e., in people’s homes).

To find out more about these two apprenticeship routes, or to find out about apprenticeship options if you’re living in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, visit the Electrical Careers website run by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP).

Getting an apprenticeship

To get an apprenticeship, you’ll need:

1. a training provider (like a college or other independent training provider)
2. an employer (an electrical business that will support with your practical, on-the-job training). Employers often have strong links with a selected local college or independent training provider.

Below, we’ve listed some great tools and websites that are available to help you get started:

• Connected Futures, NICEIC’s brand-new electrotechnical apprenticeship job board, which we have introduced to support prospective apprentices in finding high-quality apprenticeships with NICEIC-certified businesses. Sign up for job alerts so you’re notified when a position matching your criteria is published!
• The government’s ‘Find an apprenticeship’ search tool (England) enables you to search for apprenticeships by industry or location. The page will also direct you to equivalent tools for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• The National Apprenticeship Week website provides loads of helpful career advice and also features a helpful apprenticeship search tool.
• The Electrical Careers website is a useful resource for anybody wanting to know more about electrical apprenticeships across the UK.

Further education routes

T-Levels

If you’re unable to secure an apprenticeship, you may be able to train as an electrician by taking a T-Level. This is an English vocational qualification that includes a significant industry placement, allowing you to gain theoretical experience and practise what you’ve learned on site.

A T-Level typically takes two years and can lead to an accelerated apprenticeship, a reduced-duration apprenticeship that recognises the prior learning and experience you gained during your T-Level.

Note that a T-Level alone won’t fully qualify you as an electrician. You will need to transition to some kind of work placement or accelerated apprenticeship to complete your training.

Full-time education

Depending on where you live in the UK, you may also be able to enrol on a full-time college course. This will give you a grounding in the theory and technical knowledge you need to become an electrician. However, you’ll still need to find work experience to complete your training and qualify.

If you’re having trouble securing an apprenticeship, an electrotechnical course could help you find one because many colleges and training providers have connections with local employers. It can also help shorten your apprenticeship duration when you do secure one, as what you’ve already learnt will be recognised.

You could also find employment as an ‘electrician’s mate’ – a trainee or assistant who supports qualified electricians on site – and complete an appropriate Level 3 Diploma while you’re working.

Retraining as an electrician

If you’re looking to retrain as an electrician, your training options will depend on whether you’re changing careers completely, or you already work in the industry and are looking to gain formal qualifications.

Changing careers

If you’ve never worked as an electrician before, the training routes available to you are broadly similar to those we’ve already described for school leavers.

Unfortunately, there’s no ‘quick fix’; electrical work is highly skilled, and it takes years to become competent – so beware of training providers promising ‘fast-track’ training packages promising to get you qualified in weeks or months.

Formalising your qualifications

Some electricians have been working in the industry for many years and are highly experienced, but have never completed an apprenticeship or achieved an equivalent recognised Level 3 vocational qualification.

If this sounds like you, then you might be a perfect candidate for the Experienced Worker Assessment, a route to qualification for experienced workers in the electrical industry looking to gain the same accreditations as their peers who qualified as electricians through more traditional routes.

The EWA can be completed in as few as three months (although it can take up to 18 months) and attaining it means you’ll be able to apply for your ECS gold card and become an NICEIC qualified supervisor (subject to meeting other application requirements).

How long does it take to become an electrician?

Typically, an apprenticeship to become an electrician takes around three to-four years. You need this time to get a good grounding in electrical theory and to build up the requisite workplace experience to be able to work safely and competently as an electrician.

What’s next after qualification?

After qualification, many apprentices stay on with their employers to gain more experience or strike out on their own and start up their own electrical business.

You’ll also be able to apply for your Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) gold card, an industry-recognised proof of competency that shows you have completed an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification including both technical theory and practical assessments.

You’ll also be able to access Electrician Plus qualifications. These courses are designed to train qualified electricians in low carbon and renewable technologies, and are only open to those with an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification.

The next step will be getting certified by a certification body like NICEIC, which can help open doors for your business by showing prospective customers you work to high standards of competence, quality, and safety.