Vocational.uk The route, drawn out

Electrical, Plumbing & Heating

Electrician

Install, test, inspect and maintain electrical systems in homes, sites and industry — the best-paid of the mainstream trades.

High demand Can go self-employed Level 3 apprenticeship
Typical pay once qualified
£35,000 – £58,000
Training length
3.5 years
Apprenticeship standard
Installation and maintenance electrician
Where to train
305 providers listed

The route, drawn out

DWG F122 · 5 stops · 3.5 years to qualify
  1. Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
  2. Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
  3. 3.5 years Fully qualified around £35k
  4. +3–5 years Experienced up to £58k
  5. Then Your own business you set the rate

The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.

What the job is

Electrician is the flagship trade apprenticeship: three to four years, a formal AM2 assessment at the end, and a qualification recognised everywhere. You will learn installation, inspection and testing, fault finding, and the wiring regulations that govern all of it.

The work is regulated, so shortcuts are not an option, and that is precisely why qualified electricians are well paid and rarely short of work. On top of the traditional trade, EV charge points, solar, battery storage and heat pump controls have created a decade of extra demand.

A typical day

  • Install containment, cabling, consumer units and accessories
  • Terminate, connect and test circuits safely
  • Inspect, test and certify installations to BS 7671
  • Diagnose and repair faults in live environments
  • Work from drawings and schedules, and complete certification

How you get in

  • Typically GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in maths and English, or equivalent Functional Skills
  • Good colour vision is required for cable identification
  • Many employers set an aptitude test — practice the maths
  • You normally need an employer before a college will enrol you on the apprenticeship

Where it leads

  • Approved Electrician status after the AM2 assessment
  • 18th Edition, inspection and testing (2391) and EV/solar qualifications
  • Supervisor, estimator or contracts manager
  • Self-employed, then your own electrical contracting firm

Where to train for this

305 colleges and training providers on our list cover Electrician training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.

East Midlands 13
East of England 17
London 20
North East 18
North West 34
South East 27
South West 23
UK-wide 62
West Midlands 21
Yorkshire and the Humber 22
East Scotland 6
North Scotland 7
West Scotland 9
North Wales 2
South Wales 9
West Wales 2
Northern Ireland 10
Channel Islands 2
Isle of Man 1

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