Electrical Apprenticeships & Qualifications

About Electrical Sector

The electrical contracting industry is part of the construction industry. As an electrician you’ll be responsible for installing, maintaining and repairing electrical services across many different environments including construction sites and office buildings alongside other tradespeople. 

Working as an electrician you’ll need to be good at solving problems, structuring your workload and working as part of a team. 

What you'll be doing 

• Some of your main duties and responsibilities as an electrician will be: 
• installing, maintaining and repairing electrical equipment such as power socket, lights, fire alarms and heating 
• working in varied environments both indoors and outdoors 
• developing good working relationships with colleagues, other trades and customers 
• using building and engineering drawings 
• understanding wiring and circuit diagrams 
• inspecting and testing electrical installations 
• diagnosing and fixing faults across a range of circuits and equipment 

Working as electrician is varied, interesting and demanding and will give you a challenging yet rewarding career. 

How do you get into the industry? 

You’ll need to be practical, well presented and be ready to work hard to gain the knowledge and skills to become a fully qualified electrician. 

You don’t always need academic qualifications to start a career, but you’ll need at least three GCSEs at Grade 4 or above, one being in a technical or science subject. Maths and English is also important. 

Further Progression 

There are many progression opportunities, with career paths into more technical areas or management. 

To find out more about the industry, please visit the Joint Industry Board website.