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At Access Training, over 70% of our students successfully qualify as electricians while juggling full-time work commitments. This might seem daunting at first, but with the right approach and guidance, you can achieve your career goals while maintaining your current work schedule.

Here’s the process most of our students followed:

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At Access Training, over 70% of our students successfully qualify as electricians while juggling full-time work commitments. This might seem daunting at first, but with the right approach and guidance, you can achieve your career goals while maintaining your current work schedule.

Here’s the process most of our students followed:

More...

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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If you'd like to become an electrician, it's important to identify your skills and whether you'd be a good fit for the job role. To help you figure this out, we've put together this handy blog of the skills it would be helpful to have as an electrician.

Whilst it's vital that electricians have the right qualifications, it's also important to have a range of skills related to your personality. The role of an electrician is equally about social interaction and common sense as much as it is about technical, subject-specific skills.

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An electrician working on a switchboard

The electrical industry plays a crucial role in society and, as a result, electricians are in constant demand.

If you’re looking to become a tradie, there are many different career paths you could go down; a carpenter could be interesting, or maybe a plasterer? If you’ve found your way to this blog, you’re likely considering pursuing a career as an electrician, but need a little convincing that it’s the right path for you.

To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the most popular reasons that people choose to become an electrician.

 

Why Become an Electrician?

1) Lucrative salaries

No matter how you slice it, salaries are an important factor when determining your future career! The remunerative salaries available to electricians are one of the most popular reasons people are drawn to the profession.

In 2022 the Office for National Statistics reported that the average electrician’s salary is £32,540, which is considerably higher that the UK national average wage. Electricians are also largely the highest paid out of all the trades.

If you’d like to read more about the salary opportunities for electricians, check out our blog How Much Can You Earn as an Electrician?

 

2) Challenging work

When working as an electrician, you’re working with your hands and are faced with new problems to solve every day. To work as an electrician you need a variety of practical skills and a thorough knowledge of health and safety that will be put to use every day. Working as an electrician is a challenging and mentally stimulating career - you’re sure to never be bored!

 

3) Varied work environment

Trade jobs are very popular with those who can’t stomach the idea of having to sit behind a desk every day! When you work as an electrician you can find yourself called to all manner of places, and no two jobs are ever the same.

If you’re looking for a job where you can wake up in the morning not knowing what challenges the day might throw at you, you may very well be suited to work as an electrician!

 

4) Career opportunities

Once you’ve achieved your basic qualifications, there are many different fields you can specialise in as an electrician! Whether you’re interested in residential or commercial, industrial or utility, the variety of different sectors that are in need of electricians is incredible!

 

5) Be your own boss

When you’re a qualified and experienced electrician, the world is your oyster! Many electricians after achieving a few years of experience branch out and establish their own business. The freedom and flexibility that comes with being self-employed is unmatched, and there are few career paths better suited to self-employment then the trades.

 

6) High demand

No matter what, there is always going to be a demand for more electricians. Electricity is present in pretty much every aspect of our lives, so you don’t need to worry about ever being short of work! Job security is another popular reason people choose to become an electrician.

 

7) Travel the world

One of the great things about electricity is that it’s universal, and it works the same wherever you go. It’s fairly common for electricians to take advantage of this and travel to other countries (e.g. Australia) to work as an electrician, travelling the world all while earning money and gaining valuable work experience. It’s a win-win!

 

8) On the job training

One benefit of being an electrician is that there are so many schemes and opportunities that allow you to earn as you learn. This offers more opportunities for those who aren’t suited to or don’t have the freedom to enter traditional full-time education.

Access training offer earn-as-you-learn training schemes, designed to help you get trained up all whilst earning a full salary. If you’d like to learn more about our schemes, click the link below.  

Earn as You Learn Electrician Course

 

9) Skills for life

When you’re training to become an electrician, you’re being taught essential skills that will undoubtedly come in handy later in life. Just be aware that you’ll always be called by friends and family to help with any electrical problems they’re having in their house!

 

10) Job satisfaction

Sources show that those who work in the trades are among those most satisfied with their jobs. All of the above factors combine to create a career path that’s stimulating, lucrative, rewarding, and offers endless opportunities for career progression; it’s no wonder that so many electricians are satisfied with their work!

If you’re interested in training to become a qualified electrician, why not do it with Access Training? Access Training offer a wide variety of training courses including fast track, part time, and earn-as-you-learn to ensure that our courses are as accessible as possible.

We offer small class sizes to ensure that you get the one-on-one attention to get everything you can out of our courses, and offer years of career support after you graduate.

Electrician Courses

 

Read More: What is a Self-Employed Electrician's Salary?

Read More: What Qualifications Do I Need to Be an Electrician?

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?

Juggling a full-time job and a personal life can be a tough task for many of us in the working world; however, that’s not to say it’s impossible.

In fact, some manage to play the game to perfection – quite literally. One such example of that is self-employed Yorkshire electrician, Ben Kaye.

 

electrician courses, self employed electrician, electrician career

 

Shocking Victory

A master of the work/life balance, Mr Kaye somehow manages to juggle being a full-time electrician while also playing hooker for Halifax RLFC.

Halifax currently play their rugby in the Championship, the second-tier RFL division beneath the Super League; however, the northern underdogs have had their fair share of headlines in the top-flight too.

This season, the Fax shockingly made it to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, defeating Bradford Bulls in the quarters before being knocked out by league giants, St Helens.

Kaye himself has also had his fair share of time in the rugby spotlight, having played for the mighty Leeds Rhinos and Harlequins RL (AKA London Broncos) in the Super League.

In a wild twist of fate, Kaye even wound up working on the Leeds’ Headingly Stadium during the ground’s renovation, lending his electrical expertise in the demolition of the South Stand.

 

Electrifying

Despite being just 30-years old, Kaye believes himself to be in the twilight of his rugby career, having sustained a myriad of injuries over the course of his playing days, including two torn groins and severely torn biceps tendons.

Speaking to the BBC prior to the showdown with league giants, St Helens, the bright spark told cameras he would describe his dual careers as what else but… “electrifying”. Need we say more!

Jokes aside, Kaye’s moonlighting as a weekend rugby league warrior highlights a key bonus of being a self-employed electrician – that being flexibility.

 

Freedom

Between mid-week call-outs, installations and routine jobs, being a self-employed electrician provides you with the freedom to work largely to your own schedule, taking on as much or as little work as you like.

What’s more, the electrical trade provides a virtually endless stream of work. Electricians are in constant demand and, barring any revolutionary global breakthroughs, that doesn’t look to change any time soon.

If you’re looking to put the power back in your hands, why not take charge of your future by training to become an electrician? At Access Training UK, we offer a variety of courses that are specifically engineered to get you plugged in, charged up and good to go in no time.

Meanwhile, we also offer a range of courses tailored towards more experienced tradesmen looking to further their careers, hone their skills and build on their existing training and expertise. Whatever your skill level, we can help you give your electrician career healthy boost.

 

For more information on our electrical courses, call Access Training UK today on 0800 345 7492 or get in touch online using the link below.

Get in Touch

If you’re thinking about changing to an electrician career path or are already working as an electrician and are looking for to gain further qualifications to move your career forward, Access Training Academies are here to help!

If you are part of the former, you may have already had a think about how to kick-start your career as an electrician and what is the best option for you. We understand that this can get fairly complicated with a variety of roles of pathways available to you, but it doesn’t have to be with our range of fast-track Electrician Courses - perfect to get you onto your desired electrician career path.

The Demand for Electricians

A recently carried out report showed that electricians and other skilled trade experts are among the most difficult professionals to employ through a lack of workforce numbers, above and over sales, management and executives.

Figures issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the electrical industry is in anguish as a result of a lack of resources, largely due to an ageing workforce.

As a result of apprenticeships or meaningful training routes not being available over the years, there has been a decreased number of new entrants into the field.

This doesn’t have to be an issue, however, with our courses - we ensure that they are perfectly tailored to an electrician career path. 

Becoming an Electrician

The main role of a typical electrician is to install, test and maintain electrical equipment, wiring, fittings and appliances in a variety of commercial and residential settings.

Traditionally, the way in which an individual would enter the electrical industry would be to first complete an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification such as an NVQ while working or subsequently enrol onto an apprenticeship which combines studies with on-the-job training.

These, however, can take many years to complete. Something you do not have to worry about with Access Training.

Access Training Electrical Courses

As mentioned, whether you are just starting out in your electrician career path, or are looking to increase your number of professional qualifications, Access Training provides a number of high-quality electrician career programmes that guarantee you achieve all necessary qualifications while gaining valuable work experience.

Our New Career Courses focus on providing all of the basic and essential electrician qualifications, regardless of prior experience, whereas our range of Trade Professional Courses are centred around providing experienced electricians with further qualifications and training in order to meet current regulations and further their existing abilities. All of our Electrical Courses can be viewed below.

Start Your Electrician Career Path

If you have any questions or require further information regarding our Electrical Courses, or how to navigate your very own electrician career path, please do not hesitate to contact us today by calling 0800 345 7492 or emailing info@accesstraininguk.co.uk.

Is being an electrician fun?

With most people now working well into their 60s (if not later), it's important to choose a career that you're likely to enjoy. As those who have taken an Access Training electrical course will know, electricians make good money, often get to choose their own hours, and are in very high demand in the UK right now. But is being an electrician fun? Is it a job that people genuinely enjoy, or just another way to pay the bills?

The answer mostly depends on what you personally enjoy doing. We find that most of our graduates very much enjoy their new line of work, but it's good to find out if it’s something you’ll like before you start your electrical training. So, what can you expect from a job as an electrician? 

Here are few things to consider:

 

Do you find fixing things rewarding?

One of the things electricians most enjoy about their job is the satisfaction of fixing things. Having to work out what’s wrong and then correct the problem takes a lot of knowledge – if you like problem solving, you’ll probably find being an electrician fun!

 

Do you like being active?

You may not realise what an active life electricians lead. A typical day can include climbing up and down stairs, scaffolding and ladders many times. You may also have to crawl into small places. Either way, you'll need to be in relatively good shape. It’s far from an office job, so if you don’t like getting up and about then you may not find the job too fun.

 

Do you want a job with variety?

Being an electrician gives you the freedom to explore new work every day. You aren’t confined to one place and this means you’ll have lots of different experiences and meet lots of different people. Many electricians love that they constantly get to switch up their daily routine, finding a lot of fun in the diversity of the job.

 

Hopefully this have given you a bit more insight as to what it’s like to be an electrician, and what you can expect from a job as an electrician. If you have any further questions, reach out and contact us today. A member of our team will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, and help you kick-start your career today. Alternatively, click here to view our electrical training packages.

 

Last updated 5th July 2022

Is being an electrician hard on your body?

It’s normal to want to know everything about a career you're interested in - all the pros and all the cons - so that you can make an informed decision on what it is you want to do. One thing to consider before you take up a new trade (electrical work, for instance) is the physical effect that your new job might have on your body.

The good news is that being an electrician isn't too hard on your body - there are numerous jobs, including some trade jobs, that take a far harsher physical toll on those who do them.

View our electrician courses >

However, this doesn’t mean that being an electrician is always easy going. If you ask electricians who have been in the business a long time, they will probably tell you they have experienced some discomfort in their knees and back.

This isn’t too surprising, as being an electrician often means crouching, kneeling and bending to reach the electrical installations you're supposed to be working on. With that in mind, it's important to take certain precautions; electricians should stretch often and consider investing in knee pads to wear while working. It's also good practice, as in any line of work, to take breaks and refrain from putting too much stress on your body outside of working hours.

Generally speaking, though, being an electrician doesn't come with any major risks to your long-term physical health (excluding the potential for electrical shocks, which you can read about here). In many ways, a relatively active job like electrical work is preferable to a job that has you parked in front of a computer all day - the dangers of sitting down for long periods of time are well-documented, and this isn't something you'll have to worry about too often when you're working as an electrician, zipping from one job to the next all day long.

You can train to become a professional electrician by completing one of our electrical courses. For more advice on which course best suits you, feel free to get in touch with the Access Training team.

Browse all electrical courses >

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