Industrial electrician Job Information | National Careers Service

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Industrial Electrician

The work

Industrial electricians install, inspect and test wiring systems and components in all types of buildings and machinery. They typically work in the construction, engineering and manufacturing industries.

As an industrial electrician you would usually work in one of four areas:

panel building – putting together control panels that operate a building's lighting, heating and ventilation systems
repair and rewind – fixing faults in machinery, for example replacing the motors in a lift system
instrumentation – installing and maintaining manufacturing systems that measure the efficiency of a production line
maintenance – testing and servicing electromechanical equipment found in manufacturing and construction.

You might also specialise in highway electrical systems, testing circuits, and repairing faults on street lighting, traffic lights and motorway message signs. You would often use mobile high access platforms to reach work areas.

Hours

You would normally work between 37 and 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, with the possibility of overtime. If you work as a maintenance electrician in a factory, you could work shifts, including nights and weekends.

With the exception of highways jobs, you would spend most of your time working in factories, offices or workshops.

Income

Salaries for newly qualified electricians can be around £20,000 a year.
With experience, this can rise to between £22,000 and £28,000.
Experienced electricians with specialist grading can earn over £30,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

To qualify as an industrial electrician, you must have the Electrotechnical Services NVQ at Level 3*, awarded by City & Guilds (course code 2356) or EMTA Awards Limited. If you are already working in the industry but do not have the NVQ, please see the training and development section below.

You may be able to get into this career through an Apprenticeship scheme with an electrical contractor. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. For more information, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

If you are not eligible for an apprenticeship scheme and not employed in the industry, you could take the City & Guilds (2330) Technical Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology levels 2 and 3 at a college. The Technical certificates cover the theory and some of the practical skills needed for the job. However, to become fully qualified you must complete the work-based NVQ.

*From January 2011, the 2330 and 2356 qualifications will be replaced by the NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Electrotechnical Services, awarded by City & Guilds (course code 2357) and EAL. Follow the link below for a City & Guilds announcement on the new qualfications and the availability of the NVQs in the meantime.

City & Guilds – Electrotechnical Qualifications News July 2010

There is strong competition for places on the courses, and college entry requirements will often include an aptitude test. Due to health and safety regulations, you may not be able to complete a training course if you are colour-blind. Check with your chosen college about restrictions and whether they can offer you a colour vision assessment test.

Industry bodies strongly recommend that you find a placement or employment with an electrical contractor as soon as possible after starting the technical certificates, so that you can complete the NVQ. Your training provider may help with placements but you can also contact companies directly.

See the SummitSkills website for more details about a career as an industrial electrician.

Electrician with pre-1996 qualifications

If you qualified as an electrician before 1996, you should contact the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry (JIB), who will assess your experience and qualifications to decide whether or not you sufficiently meet their requirements. They will be able to tell you if you need to take further qualifications.

Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry

Overseas qualified electricians

If you have qualified as an electrician outside the UK, you must register with the JIB Electrotechnical Card Scheme (ECS). You will need to do three things to register:

contact UK NARIC to find out what your qualifications are equivalent to in the UK
complete the City & Guilds 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations (2382)
pass the ECS Health and Safety Assessment.

You will also need to contact the self-certification training providers below for details about of how to meet Part P requirements of the Building Regulations.

Training and development

If you are employed in the industry, you can qualify as an industrial electrician by working towards one of three options on the Electrotechnical Services NVQ at Level 3:

Electrotechnical Services, which includes four main areas: Installation, Maintenance, Installing Instrumentation & Associated Equipment and Installing Highway Electrical Systems
Electrical Panel Building
Electrical Machine Rewind and Repair.

Employers may ask you take two other qualifications:

City & Guilds (2391) Inspection, Testing and Certification of Installations
City & Guilds (2382) 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

If your job involves carrying out portable appliance testing (also known as PAT testing), you will need relevant training to do so. The City & Guilds In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (2377) course is a common option, however, any course that conforms to the IEE Codes of Practice would be suitable.

You do not necessarily have to be a qualified electrician to carry out PAT testing, however, you would need to be considered a ‘competent person’. This is normally demonstrated by qualifications and/or relevant experience. For more details, visit the PAT Testing Information website.

PAT Testing

Electrical Safety and Part P

Part P of the Building Regulations states that certain types of household electrical work must be approved by a certified contractor or building inspector. You can certify your own work by completing a short Part P training scheme. See the Part P contacts below for details about certification training, entry requirements and information about the electrical work that requires approval.

The scheme may have certain entry requirements, depending on your qualifications and experience. Some providers may offer extra training if you need it, for instance, 17th Edition Wiring Regulations.

Environmental Technologies

The government has recently set targets for greater energy efficiency in a bid to combat climate change. With further training, you may be able to install and maintain renewable energy technologies like solar electric systems.

To find out more about this growing area of work, see the Environmental Technologies section of the SummitSkills website.

SummitSkills – Environmental Technologies

Skills and knowledge

good practical skills to use hand and power tools
the ability to follow technical drawings and instructions
a methodical approach to work
a commitment to keep up to date with industry developments
the ability to work on your own and as part of a team
good communications skills
the ability to make accurate measurements
a thorough understanding of electrical safety rules and regulations.

More information

SummitSkills
Tel: 08000 688336
www.summitskills.org.uk

Electrical Contractors Association
www.eca.co.uk

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships: England
Tel: 08000 150600
www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Careers Wales
www.careerswales.com

Electrical Training Trust - Northern Ireland
Tel: 028 2565 0750
www.ett-ni.org

Part P Self-Certification Schemes

NICEIC Domestic Installer Scheme
Tel: 0870 013 0382
www.niceic.org.uk

BRE Certification
Tel: 0870 609 6093
www.partp.co.uk

ELECSA
Tel: 0870 749 0080
www.elecsa.org.uk

British Standards Institution (BSI)
Tel: 01442 278607
www.bsi-global.com

National Association of Inspectors & Testers
Tel: 0870 444 1392
www.napit.org.uk

Opportunities

You would find work with electrical contractors, building and engineering firms, manufacturing companies, local authorities and the NHS. You could also set up your own business.

You could also move into domestic installation work. See the Electrician job profile for more details about this role.

With experience, you could gain promotion to supervisory and management jobs, electrical estimating and contract management.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading: (links open in new window)

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Related industry information

Industry summary

The electrotechnical 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 electrical and electronic servicing. The building services engineering sector as a whole 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 electrotechnical industry works on both domestic and major engineering projects installing, commissioning and maintaining technology in all types of building, including:

complex projects such as shopping centres, sports stadiums, hospitals and new housing projects
advanced data‐cabling, data‐handling systems and fibre‐optic systems
computer controlled building management systems
renewable energy systems
control equipment for complex industrial manufacturing and processing

Key facts:

There are around 23,000 businesses in the industry employing 135,000 people, mostly white male.
90% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people.
The number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall due to the economic climate.

Jobs in the industry range from: installation electricians, electrotechnical panel builders, machine repair and rewind electricians, instrumentation electricians, maintenance electricians, highway systems electricians.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There are 12,241 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 600.

East of England – There are 18,490 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 920.

London – There are 19,759 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 980.

North East – There are 7,077 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 350.

North West – There are 15,411 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 770.

South East – There are 19,663 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 980.

South West – There are 11,790 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 590.

West Midlands – There are 14,876 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 740.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 15,800 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 790.