Electricity generation worker Job Information | National Careers Service

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Electricity generation worker

Hours

40 per week
Starting salary

£11,000 + per year

The work

As an electricity generation worker, you would operate and look after the equipment in power stations that produces electricity in various ways, such as from:

gas
coal
nuclear power
hydro-electricity
wind power
biomass fuels.

Your main duties would include:

operating machinery on the shop floor, or running it remotely from a control room
diagnosing and repairing faults
following safety procedures and environmental good practice
handling the materials that the plant uses to generate electricity
carrying out routine equipment testing
putting contingency plans into practice, for example isolating or shutting down a system in an emergency
following strict safety procedures at all times.

You could also work in a power station as a member of a maintenance crew, repairing all the mechanical, electrical and electronic equipment in the plant.

Hours

You could work a basic 40-hour, five-day week with possible overtime, or you could work shifts to provide cover 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You may need to be on standby for call-out in case of emergencies.

The working environment could vary from a clean control room to a repair workshop. Some work may be in hot or cramped conditions. You would wear protective clothing such as overalls, hard hats and safety boots.

Income

Apprentices usually earn between £11,000 and £15,000 a year
After training, salaries are usually between £18,000 and £25,000
The most experienced workers can earn up to £40,000 or more.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You don't always need qualifications to work in electricity generation, although you will need a good standard of general education and you may have an advantage with some GCSEs or similar. You should check entry requirements with individual employers.

However, you will often get into this type of work through an Apprenticeship scheme. For this, most employers ask for at least four GCSEs (A-C), including maths, English, and another relevant subject such as science, engineering or design and technology.

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. To find out more, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

If you are not joining the industry through an Apprenticeship, you will find it useful to have previous experience or qualifications in electrical engineering and maintenance.

Training and development

You will be trained by your employer, through a mixture of learning on the job and taking short courses at a training centre.

Your training will usually include the chance to achieve the new City & Guilds Level 2 and 3 Diploma in Electrical Power Engineering – Substation Plant. These replace the former NVQs at levels 2 and 3 in Engineering Technology Operations and Engineering Technology Maintenance.

You could also take short courses in subjects such as high voltage safety, through a training company such as AFAQ-ETA – see their website for details.

AFAQ-ETA

Many employers will want you to register in an appropriate safety passport scheme to prove that you have the knowledge and safety awareness to work on site. Relevant safety passport schemes for electricity distribution include the Basic Electrical Safety Competence Scheme (BESC) – Substations, Overhead Lines or Underground Cables.

See the Energy & Utility Skills Register (Opens new window) - website for more details.

Skills and knowledge

good practical skills
the ability to find and repair faults
an understanding of technical drawings and manuals
basic knowledge of physics and maths, to understand the principles of electricity
teamworking ability
the ability to work without supervision
good communication skills
respect for health and safety and the environment.

More information

Energy & Utility Skills (Opens new window)
Friars Gate
1011 Stratford Road
Shirley
Solihull
B90 4BN
Tel: 0845 077 9922
www.euskills.co.uk

Energy & Utility Skills Register (Opens new window)
Tel: 0845 077 9922
www.eusr.co.uk

Association of Electricity Producers (Opens new window)
17 Waterloo Place
London
SW1Y 4AR
Tel: 020 7930 9390
www.aepuk.com

Client Contractor National Safety Group (CCNSG) (Opens new window)
www.ccnsg.com

Opportunities

You could work for one of the 42 national and regional electricity generating companies. Jobs may be advertised in the local press, Jobcentre Plus or employers' own websites.

With experience, you could progress to control and instrumentation engineer, operations or maintenance technician, or into a supervisory job. You could also choose to study further and become an electrical engineer.

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

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The power industry is part of the energy and utility sector, represented by Energy and Utility Sector Skills Council, which also includes: gas; waste management; and water. The UK energy and utility sector employs an estimated 536,200 people.

The power industry covers the activities associated with the production, transmission and distribution of electricity. The industry starts at the point of production and ends at (and including) the meter on the customers’ property. The means of production and the fuel used to generate electricity can vary whether generated by conventional methods (e.g. gas‐fired power stations) or by renewable resources (e.g. wind or wave power). Activities of the industry can be divided into:

Production of electricity – operation of generation facilities that produce electricity from gas, coal‐fired and hydroelectric power stations and various renewable sources
Transmission of electricity – operation of high voltage transmission networks that convey electricity from the generation facility to the distribution networks. This is primarily the operation and maintenance of the national grid network.
Distribution and trade of electricity – operation of regional distribution networks that convey electricity from the high voltage transmission network to the consumer, plus the retail sale (or supply) of electricity to the customer.

Key facts:

There are 87,000 people employed in the industry, which includes:
- 18,000 working in generation
- 38,000 working in distribution and transmission
- 21,500 working in supply
- 6,500 working in corporate functions
- an estimated 3,000 people who are self‐employed and working in the industry.
There is a strong gender bias, with only 16% of the workforce female. There are high concentrations of female workers in administrative and secretarial, sales and customer service roles.
The age profile is similar to that of the whole UK workforce, although it does employ slightly fewer 16‐24 year olds and more 25‐54 year olds.
Around 2,000 new workers per year will be required by the electricity industry between 2008 and 2017.

Jobs in the industry range from:

Generation – control and instrumentation engineer, operations technician, maintenance technician, electrical engineer, supervisor
Transmission and Distribution – overhead line worker, cable jointer, electrical fitter, electrical engineer, supervisor
Supply Sector – meter operative, meter technician, supervisor.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There are around 3,500 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 50 companies; which makes this region the smallest in England.

East of England – There are around 5,500 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 80 companies.

London – There are around 4,000 people employed within the industry in the London region in approximately 100 companies.

North East – There are around 6,000 people employed within the industry in the North East region in a very small number of companies.

North West – There are around 5,000 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 90 companies.

South East – There are around 7,500 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 120 companies.

South West – There are around 7,000 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 90 companies.

West Midlands – There are around 11,500 people employed within the industry in the region in approximately 75 companies; which makes it the largest in England in terms of the number of people employed in the electricity industry.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are around 6,000 people employed within in approximately 70 companies.