Simplifying Electrician Qualifications - The Best Routes
Due to the exciting choices available, the electrical industry offers jobs that many people choose. Whilst the original term is ‘Electro-Mechanical Engineering’ we will simply refer to the subject as the Electrical Industry. Equally we’ll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. Because of the vast number of options available for a career within the electrical industry, we’ll start by concentrating on the main topics, and come back to the ‘add-ons’ later.
On consideration, we observe two forms of access into the electrical market. To being with we have the older apprentice course and then secondly we have the option for those who wish to make a career change to join the industry. We have to reference individuals so we will plainly do so by ‘Junior’ and ‘Mature’ entrants.
Primarily, those who join the industry later on, (the Mature Entrants,) generally do so with the aim of becoming self-employed at some point, or to work on their own building projects etc. without having to pay wages to external electricians. On the other hand, to gain further credentials and experience ‘Junior Entrants’ tend to work for a recognised electrical firm. After they leave school a young apprentice will have many skills to learn during their first few years of working life.
The different ways into electrical work have two distinct types of training: NVQ’s are the key factor for all junior entrants. An NVQ qualification would need to be obtained as part of the training program. ‘Junior Entrants’ will have to be in an apprenticeship of some sort in order to achieve the testing and course work required.
Mature Entrants, with the possible aim of entering the market from a self-employed perspective, seem to focus on attaining the most commercially viable qualifications (without the need for the NVQ element.) Instead most of them aim for the techniques that will get them up and running as quickly as possible and give them the best return against the cost to train in the first place. This method may appear to reduce the levels of knowledge overall, but it does allow for an increase in the speed by which people enter and become more prevalent within the market.
In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes - those relating to employment and those for self-employment. Obviously, with self-employment, there is the added issue of whether the Entrant is part-time (working around another job) or full-time; we will concentrate on full-time. Skill and knowledge levels can often determine salary levels, although this is equally via a proven ability or certification scheme.
Although starting wages for ‘Junior Entrants’ are around 13k p.a. they can rise above 30k p.a. but this does depend on their level of experience. However, with incomes of 70,000 or more a year, a ‘Mature Entrants’ salary can often be more difficult to judge. Irrespective of this salary level many self-employed people also need to manage extra business costs such as tools, clothes and vans. Earmarked within this is the need to cover additional expenses such as accountancy or insurance. However, the driving force remains the UK skills shortage and this means that there’s a load of work available. Therefore, working seven days a week (if a student wanted) is a possibility for most. To be fair, high salaries bounded about by the press do require long working hours or help to achieve them.
Firstly, it is worth pointing out that the working week between the Junior and Mature electricians can vary enormously. ‘Junior Entrants’ would normally be required to work Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Whereas the Mature market can be more dependent on the domestic market for some - i.e. weekend and evening work, when their clients are available and back from work. This alters quite a bit, with lots of self employed electricians gaining much of their income from small office work, which is predominantly Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.
Once a Junior Entrant is employed within a company, then any follow-on knowledge they gain is often down to the employers’ activity as opposed to anything else. The mature entrant, on the other hand, may seek training outside of their core electrical field, possibly including plumbing and gas work. Within the domestic market this allows them to work under a range of headings without having to rely upon sub contract suppliers.
An area that is relatively new to the industry overall, yet requires new expertise is that of ‘Green Engineering’. This could be an area of interest to both Junior and Mature Entrants, and with the expected growth and governmental (both UK & EEC) support, it could provide some highly lucrative employment and business opportunities.
