Job market information
Finding out about electrical and electronic servicing
The electrical and electronic servicing industry is part of the building services engineering sector, represented by SummitSkills Sector Skills Council, which also includes: plumbing; heating and ventilating; air conditioning and refrigeration; and electrotechnical. In total, the building services engineering sector employs over 600,000 people in over 60,000 businesses. Of these, 85% have between 1 and 5 employees, with most of the remainder employing between 6 and 250 workers. Very few have more than 250 employees. The sector has an annual turnover of around £17 billion in the UK. Building services engineering is continually adapting to meet technological challenges and plays a central role in environmental technology developments, particularly around renewable energy and micro‐generation.
The electrical and electronic servicing industry is involved in the installation, servicing and maintenance of:
- signal reception, which deals with aerial systems in residences, blocks of flats and individual private homes
- consumer electronics, such as TVs, audio systems and DVD players
- domestic electrical appliances, such as washing machines, microwaves and refrigerators
Key facts:
- Many Domestic Appliance Service Engineers become self-employed and run their own businesses.
- While some people work ‘on call’, many are employed by manufacturers and manufacturer approved service agents and high street retailers.
Jobs in the industry range from:
- TV Service Engineers/Technicians install and service TV and consumer electronics systems, including televisions, DVD players, HI‐FI systems and games consoles
- Domestic Appliance Service Engineers install and service a wide range of domestic appliances, including washing machines, dishwashers, cookers, fridges and freezers as well as smaller items such as vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens and irons
- Aerial Installers install and service signal reception equipment, such as TV aerials, satellite dishes and systems in domestic dwellings and in large buildings.
Entry and progression
Entrants are required to have a good level of education, with Maths, English and Science (preferably Physics) at GCSE level. Those wishing to enter the industry need an interest in technology, together with good analytical skills and practical skills. A lot of the work involves identifying cables and components by colour; therefore, normal colour vision is important. Entrants will need to achieve the relevant NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 to be recognised as qualified. This will take between 2 and 4 years to complete whilst working in the industry.
Typical progression routes from this industry are from Level 2 (diagnosis of faults and simple repairs) to Level 3 (diagnosis of faults and more complex repairs). Very few people enter this industry directly at Level 3.
The industry is not a common career choice by those who are made redundant, changing career or returning to work after a break. However, it has historically been attractive to those with an engineering background in the UK Armed Forces.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (such as the Electrical and Electronic Servicing Apprenticeship), vocational qualifications and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
Unknown |
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| Gender: |
Less than 1% of the skilled workforce is female |
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| Age: |
The average age of the workforce is 45 years. |
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Employment trends and future prospects
Due to the current economic climate, the number of people employed in the sector as a whole is forecast to fall by between 18% and 42%, depending upon the depth of the recession and the speed of recovery. A proportion of these losses will be apprentices.
The independent retailers/repairers in the electrical and electronic servicing industry are usually small businesses employing very few engineers. Agencies usually employ between 5 and 15 engineers, whilst manufacturers usually employ between 80 and 120. Although the number of engineers working in the UK is not known, all areas of this industry have seen a decline in the number of engineers mainly due to consumers tending to replace items rather than having them repaired.
Skill requirements and shortages
Common key activities involve: travelling/driving; working safely; working in an environmentally friendly manner; working in people’s homes; identifying and rectifying faults; providing functional and technical information; maintaining working relationships; and overseeing work activities.
Occupational trends
Across the sector as a whole technician and professional levels are likely to remain relatively stable. From 2010 onwards, an increase in the number of people required is expected, thereby improving prospects for new entrants to the sector. This will particularly benefit graduates wishing to enter the industry and gain employment within consultancies.
Due to the upgrade from analogue to digital, more installation engineers will be required to fulfil demand levels until 2012. Additionally, because of the London 2012 Olympics, more engineers may be required. However, these demands will be short‐term and are not expected to be sustainable.
National and regional data
There are currently no national or regional figures available.
Salary levels
Some suggested annual salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- Apprentices earn between £8,000 and £12,000
- Qualified workshop or field technicians can earn between £15,000 and £22,000
- A Service Manager can earn around £20,000
More information on salary levels can be found on the Joint Industry Board (JIB) website. 
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using SummitSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
