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The UK's job market for skilled electricians is on the rise. With a predicted shortage of 104,000 electricians by 2032 and average salaries soaring above £39,000, choosing a career in this field is like flipping the switch on your long-term financial security.

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The UK's job market for skilled electricians is on the rise. With a predicted shortage of 104,000 electricians by 2032 and average salaries soaring above £39,000, choosing a career in this field is like flipping the switch on your long-term financial security.

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With energy prices hiking rapidly in 2022, there's no denying that we're all looking to cut our gas and electric bill costs as much as possible. A typical household in Great Britain will, on average, pay around £2500 a year for their energy bill from October 2022.

In light of the Global Energy Crisis, we've spoken to our most trusty electricians, who have passed on their top tips for cutting electric bills especially for you.

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There are a wide number of reasons people seek to become an electrician – it’s pretty well known that electricians earn lucrative salaries (check out our blog on trade salaries here). Beyond earning a lucrative salary, electricians also have a lot more flexibility than most traditional careers can offer.

Once you have trained as an electrician, the career direction options are endless. Whether you’re looking for employment with a business or are hoping to find success in self-employment, training as an electrician gives you the freedom to choose your path.

If you’re interested in training to become an electrician and are looking for additional information on the qualifications required to become a sparky, keep reading!

 

Do I need GCSEs to become an electrician?

There are different avenues you can take when it comes to training to be an electrician, such as apprenticeships, college, or training centres. Some facilities will require an applicant to have obtained a number of GCSEs, including maths and English.

Here at Access Training, whether you’ve just finished school or are a mature student looking to train, you can train to become an electrician without GCSEs or equivalent qualifications.

 

What qualifications DO I need?

To become an electrician, there are some qualifications you’ll need to achieve to prove that you’ve trained and have acquired the necessary skills. Depending on the type of work you’re planning to do, there are different levels of training required.

The basic qualification you’ll need to obtain to prove you have the skills required to practice is a level 3 vocational qualification or diploma.

This qualification is the bare essential you need to be able to practice, and depending on what level of work you’d like to engage in past your training period, there are a number of further qualifications you can achieve.

Here at Access Training, we’ve broken it down into three courses– Essential Electrical Course, Professional Electrical Course, and Premier Electrical Course. Each course increases in complexity – the further you train the more qualifications you will achieve, which will enable you to take on a wider range of jobs in the future.

If you’d like to get a more in-depth comparison of the different courses side by side, take a peek at our electrical courses overview page. Here you can find more information about the different courses, the stages of training with Access Training, and course recommendations suited to your unique career goals.

Electrical Courses Overview

 

Our website has a lot of great information on the different courses we provide and their content. If you’re still not sure which course is right for you, reach out and contact us today. We’ll be more than happy to talk over the different options with you, and help you find the perfect fit for your career goals.

 

Read More: Electrician Qualifications: A Guide for Beginners

An Electrician

Are you thinking about becoming an electrician and wondering what a typical working day would look like? In this blog post, we look at the day-to-day life of an electrician and what jobs they tend to do!

  1. What is an Electrician?
  2. What Jobs Do Electricians Do?
  3. What Hours Do Electricians Work?
  4. Find Out More

 

But first: what exactly is an electrician? 

An electrician is a qualified professional who specialises in a variety of electrical work, such as planning and installing wiring systems, testing and maintaining electrical equipment, and running power supplies to public events.

If you decide to become an electrician, you will have to choose between entering the field as a generalised electrician or working in a specialist niche. This choice will determine what the day-to-day functions of the job are; not all electricians tackle exactly the same tasks.

However, in most areas of this field, the general daily tasks remain the same. 

 

What jobs do electricians do?

Throughout the majority of the working week, general electricians will have to conduct a set of common tasks required by businesses and homeowners. These often involve...

  • Planning, writing and understanding diagrams and floor plans

  • Repairing damaged wiring and equipment using a range of power and hand tools

  • Diagnosing wiring issues, failing components, poor connections and overloaded circuits using specialised tools such as thermal imaging

  • Testing electrical systems and circuits using devices such as oscilloscopes and voltmeters

  • Assessing electrical systems, components and equipment to spot any potential hazards and defects

  • Planning and installing electrical wiring and fixtures based on job specs and local codes

READ MORE: What Qualifications Do I Need to Be an Electrician?

 

Working hours of an electrician 

The majority of electricians work a standard eight-hour shift, five days a week and sometimes even on weekends. However, as an electrician, you should be prepared to work during off-hours too, dealing with the wiring and voltage issues that can occur at any hour of the day. This is common throughout the electrical industry, with many general electricians available for on-call emergency service. 

The work you are assigned will very much depend on the terms of your employment. Whether you're an independent contractor or working for an established company, you will either set your own schedule of work or be assigned jobs to complete across a variety of different sites. 

One thing's for sure, though: all electricians should be prepared to work for longer than planned. Once you begin working, you can quickly discover that the one job you were assigned to do is just a small part of a much bigger problem that will take more time to fix.

 

More on the jobs electricians do

As you can see from the information above, working as a successful electrician requires a wide range of specialised skills, as well as good reading comprehension and analysing in order to determine the best route to success for each individual job.

Because of the danger and complexity of electrical work, it is essential that you study and learn from qualified and experienced professionals. 

Our Electrical Training Courses >

 

Additional Resources:

 

Man training for a career in electrical engineering

An electrical engineer is someone who designs electrical systems. This can mean anything from assisting with the construction of new homes to planning nationwide energy networks.

As you can probably imagine, this line of work demands a lot of expertise, but if you've got the right qualifications, a career in electrical engineering can be very lucrative indeed. According to payscale.com, the average salary for an electrical engineer in the UK is just over £32,000 per year - and some earn significantly more than that.

Electrical engineers are employed by all sorts of different industries, including:

  • Construction
  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Manufacturing
  • Defence

 

What's the Difference Between an Electrician and an Electrical Engineer?

While 'electrician' and 'electrical engineer' are often used interchangeably, they are - strictly speaking - two different professions. You wouldn't hire an electrical engineer to come and fix your oven, and most jobbing electricians aren't qualified to design large-scale electrical systems.

So what exactly is the difference? Well, this is something of an oversimplification (and there is a certain amount of overlap between the two roles) but broadly speaking, electrical engineers DESIGN the jobs that electricians then CARRY OUT. Think of the electrical engineer as a composer, and the electrician as a concert pianist; one writes the music, the other performs it.

 

How to Become an Electrical Engineer

If you simply want to work as a domestic electrician, you will need the following qualifications (which make up our Essential Electrical Course):

  • Part P Domestic Installer
  • 18th Edition Wiring Regulations
  • Building Regulations for Electrical Installations in Dwellings

If you want to pursue a career in electrical engineering, you will need to know how to design electrical systems. Our Electrical Design Course (which includes a Level 4 design and verification qualification) is recommended for candidates who already have some professional electrical experience under their belts.

Beginners who wish to forge a career in electrical engineering may be interested in our Premier Electrical Course - this comprehensive training package consists of eight different qualifications, covering everything from basic electrical theory all the way through to the design and verification of new installations. No prior knowledge or experience is required to enrol on this course.

View All Electrical Courses >

If you want to become an electrical engineer but you're not sure where to start, please contact Access Training Academies today - our course advisors will start you down the path to your new career.

Recent research has once again highlighted the overwhelming lack of female electricians currently in the UK electrical industry.

According to TradeSparky, out of over 250k British electricians, only around 2000 are female. This figure equates to a shocking 1% of the entire contingent of electricians in the UK.

 

female electricians wearing hard hat, holding tools in her hand

 

A Man’s World?

The figures highlight the fact that the tradesperson industry is a male-dominated field and one that is severely lacking in female participation. Worse still, the pattern of a predominantly male workforce does nothing to spark female involvement and continues this trend further, as female uptake remains minimal.

However, the shocking stats don’t stop there. In addition to the inequality in gender employment, the imbalance also extends to the pay scale as well. Further to the incredible disparity between male and female participation figures, there is also a gender pay gap of just over £3.5k. Also according to TradeSparky, men receive an average annual wage of approximately £34.5 while women walk away with just under £31k.

Crossed Wires

Despite these male-skewed statistics, the tide is turning with each passing year with regards to equality in the workplace and the electrical trade does actually pose a great deal of opportunity for women looking to get into the manual trades profession.

In fact, when compared to average annual salary figures published by the Office of National Statistics, the average female electrician earns more than many other professions, such as legal associates (£29k), graphic designers (£27k), police community support officers (£27k), ambulance staff (£23k) and dental nurses (£18k).

What’s more, Direct Line for Business also revealed that 29% of UK adults would prefer to hire a woman to work on their home plumbing, if given the choice.

 

Become a Female Electrician with Access Training UK

If you’re interested in starting your career as a female electrician, Access Training UK can help get you where you want to be. We offer a variety of courses for all skill levels, and our courses are flexible and adaptable, allowing you to achieve your goals at your own pace.

Whether you’re a beginner that’s completely new to the sparky business, or are an existing professional looking to add a few extra strings to your bow, we have a course designed to suit you. Checkout the list down below for a full rundown of exactly what electrician courses we have available at Access Training UK.

 

New Career Courses

Perfect for those with little to no experience, our beginner courses include the following:

Essential Electrical Course

Professional Electrician Course

Premier Electrical Course

 

Trade Professional Courses

For the more seasoned professional, we offer the following courses, designed to expand your existing knowledge:

Part P Domestic Electrical Installer

18th Edition

Part P & 18th Edition

PAT Testing

Initial Verification

Periodic Inspection & Testing

Fundamental Inspection Testing

Combined Inspection & Testing

Electrical Design Course

 

If you’d like to find out more information about how you can train to come a female electrician, or more detail about the different courses we offer, reach out and contact us today. A member of our first-class customer service team will be more than happy to run through the different courses we offer and help you find the right option for you.

Contact Us

 

 

Last updated 5th July 2022

Read More: Women in Plumbing: What Problems Do Female Plumbers Face?

Self-employed electricians in the UK have been left buzzing this month as average earnings reached their highest level on record.

According to data analysis by Hudson Contract, October payroll figures confirm that earnings for electricians in England and Wales rose by 5.8%, amounting to a weekly average of £1165.

 

money, electrician wages

 

Record-Breaking Wages

Hudson Contract is a payroll firm responsible for well over 2000 construction companies in the UK.

The firm has been analysing subcontractor earning since March 2008 and in the entire 11+ year span of those records, electrician wages have never been higher.

Welsh electricians saw an incredible spike in earnings growth with a rise of over 25%. Meanwhile, both the south-east and the north-west also saw sizeable peaks, both with a growth of over 8%.

Despite the boosts elsewhere, electrician’s in the east of England remain the highest earnings, topping off at an average of £1363/week which equates to a theoretical £70k/annum.

 

A Lucrative Career Path

On average, electricians regularly find themselves within the top three earners in the construction industry and this latest statistic proves once again just how lucrative an electrical career can be.

Managing Director of Hudson Contract, Ian Anfield, had this say:

“Despite political uncertainty and a general election, freelance electricians have never earned more. We hope this message reaches young people considering a career in construction.”

 

Electrical Careers at Access Training UK

As the figures suggest, there’s never been a better time to consider a career in the electrical industry, with the potential to earn respectable annual salaries that rival and surpass most graduates.

Here at Access Training, we can help you get your career on track with our variety of electrician courses. Whether you’re a total novice taking your first steps in the electrical game or a seasoned veteran hoping to sharpen your skills with some additional knowledge, we have the course for you.

 

New Career Courses

Perfect for those with little to no experience, our beginner courses include the following:

Essential Electrical Course

Professional Electrician Course

Premier Electrical Course

 

Trade Professional Courses

For the more seasoned professional, we offer the following courses, designed to expand your existing knowledge:

Part P Domestic Electrical Installer

18th Edition

Part P & 18th Edition

PAT Testing

Initial Verification

Periodic Inspection & Testing

Fundamental Inspection Testing

Combined Inspection & Testing

Electrical Design Course

 

For more information on the wide range electrician courses at Access Training UK, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 or get in touch online by clicking the link below.

Get in Touch

According to figures recently released by Direct Line, plumbing and electrical issues are the two primary headaches commonly faced by buy to let landlords across the UK.

While the diagnosis is far from surprising, the extent of the problem is certainly shocking, racking up sizeable bills nationwide.

 

house flood

 

Landlord SOS

According to Direct Line’s statistics, over half of UK landlords have had to enlist the aid of an emergency contractor in the last 12 months.

In fact, on average, landlords in the UK are said to have called out a contractor once every three months, amounting to 4.7 million landlord SOS calls a year.

The most common emergencies relating to these calls were all plumbing related, closely followed by electrical/gas supply issues and water problems.

Plumbing issues, in particular, accounted for 365k rental homes being evacuated, with electrical/gas supply racking up 293k evacuations and water issues relating to 267k.

 

A Hefty Bill

While buy to let properties have proved to be a savvy investment for many property owners, the subsequent maintenance issues have seen the need for emergency contractors impede those profit margins considerably.

Overall, Direct Line noted that Britain’s landlords have had to shell out a collective £4.5 billion on emergency contractors over the course of the last year. Statistically speaking, that equates to an average sum of £764 per call out and £2141/year per landlord.

 

Every Cloud...

Naturally, the figures paint a rather devastating picture for landlords and anyone looking to enter the buy to let property market. However, for those in the plumbing and electrical trades, the news is anything but that.

The demand for top-quality plumbers and highly skilled electricians remains strong in the UK, as the national skills shortage in this area continues. The result is healthy profits, a steady stream of work and a reliable income for those in the trade and attractive career prospects for those thinking of making the jump.

  

Plumbing Courses and Electrician Courses

At Access Training UK, we have a wide variety of courses on offer for potential plumbers and would-be electricians. These range from entry-level courses for complete novices with no prior experience all the way up to NVQ Level 2 Certification and PAT Testing courses.

Whether you’re looking to enter the electrical trade, build on your existing plumbing skills or anything in between, an Access Training course can help you get where you want to be quickly, efficiently and affordably.

Check out the buttons below to find out more right now and begin your skills journey today.

Plumbing Courses                    Electrician Courses

 

For additional details on the various plumbing and electrician courses available at Access Training UK, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 to speak with one of our expert advisors or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

Get in Touch

The last month has seen school-leavers across the UK celebrate and commiserate over their GCSE and A-Level results.

Nevertheless, regardless of the score, the outcome has largely been met by the same question: “What now?”

For many, higher education is the logical next step; however, there is an alternate route that poses a wide range of benefits.

Picking up a trade fresh out of school can be a wise move that pays off for years to come, particularly when it comes to the electrical trade.

How so? Read on to find out…

 

electrical careers, electrical training, electrician courses

 

“University Is Not For Everyone”

Higher education has long been held up as the pinnacle of education and must for school-leavers looking to better themselves.

However, in recent years, that has often not been the case, with many graduates struggling to find employment post-university.

Senior Group Technical Presenter at NICEIC, Darren Staniforth, had this to say:

“University is not for everyone and the perception that you can only have a successful career if you get a degree is a false one.

“The construction industry is a well-paid sector that offers a vast array of opportunities. Yet, it is still viewed by some as a third-rate industry for people who do not perform well at school.

“A trade is a viable career path which gives students the chance to learn specific skills that can open up many doors and avenues in the future – including working abroad.”

 

Conducting Research

These sentiments were backed by figures from the Federation of National Builders, who noted that construction apprentices will go on to earn thousands of pounds more every year than many of their university-educated counterparts.

According to their research, the FMB found that the average annual salary of UK electricians was an impressive £47k, while the average university graduate in England earns £32k/year, noting that a shortage in skilled workers makes the construction industry a very lucrative career path.

These sentiments were echoed by the experts at the Pensions Policy Institute, who worked out that even a 22-year-old electrician on an average salary of £18k could have a pension pot worth £111k by the time they retire. Talk about investing in your future!

READ MORE: What is an Electrician's Salary?

 

Electrical Courses with Access Training

If you’re one of those school-leavers fresh off your GCSE or A-Level results, now is the perfect time to consider an electrical career. Both rewarding and useful, a training to become an electrician is extremely worthwhile on a number of levels.

Best of all, with electrical courses at Access Training, you don’t need any prior experience to get your journey started!

READ MORE: How to Become an Electrician

 

New Career Courses

Our beginner courses are ideal for those with limited or no experience.

These include:

Essential Electrical Course

Professional Electrician Course

Premier Electrical Course

 

Trade Professional Courses

For more experienced, we also offer a range of courses designed to build on your existing knowledge.

These include:

Part P Domestic Electrical Installer

18th Edition

Part P & 18th Edition

PAT Testing

Initial Verification

Periodic Inspection & Testing

Fundamental Inspection Testing

Combined Inspection & Testing

Electrical Design Course

 

For more information on electrical training and electrician courses from Access Training UK, why not get in touch today? Call now on 0800 345 7492 or get in touch online using the button below.

Get in Touch

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