An apprenticeship is a job with training. It’s ideal way to start your electrical career and earn while you learn. You’ll be employed and will gain your skills via a combination of on-the-job learning in your workplace and other learning supported by a college or training provider. The apprenticeship programme takes around four years to complete.

Traditionally apprenticeships were only for young people, but now employers in England can receive funding for apprentices of any age, so they’re now an option for those looking to change or progress their career, as well as school leavers.

Importantly, your employer receives funding for the apprenticeship programme and you will not be expected to pay anything towards your training.

Take a look at this journey which shows the whole process.

To complete your apprenticeship you’ll also need to take the AM2S Assessment which tests everything you’ve learnt over the course of your training.

To find an apprenticeship vacancy try speaking to local employers or training providers. Find a training provider that offers the electrotechnical apprenticeship.

If you’re not able to get an apprenticeship, this classroom-based route will provide you with technical knowledge and some practical skills that you can gain at a college or training centre, with the potential for work experience or contact with employers. You’ll still need to get practical experience in the workplace before you can become qualified.

If at any stage during your college education you become employed, you can transfer onto an apprenticeship programme (see Route 1) and your employer will fund the completion of your training, either through their apprenticeship levy funds or through government support. What you’ve learnt already will be recognised and will reduce the time it takes to complete your apprenticeship.

If you don’t become employed there’s only so far you can go – it’s not possible to become qualified until you get into the workplace and gain on-site practical experience. You could look for opportunities to support qualified electricians and learn your trade to start this process.

Generally, students aged 14-19 can receive funding for this route but in some situations, over 19s can also receive financial support for this training.

Take a look at this journey which shows the whole process.

If you can’t access funding and need to pay for your own training, it’s important you consider your route carefully. There are no shortcuts to becoming a qualified electrician.

The classroom-based qualifications you’ll gain at a college or other training provider are a good foundation, but on their own they do not mean you are a qualified electrician. This comes with time and experience on the job, supporting work-based training, and the informed judgements you’ll become able to make as a result of this real-life experience.

In fact, if you read the small print, many of the packages offered by commercial training providers acknowledge that you need to be working in the industry to complete the full qualification.

Read our guidance on doing the right training.

You may also see promotions to become a ‘Domestic Installer’ or ‘Domestic Electrician’ – read our advice

Take a look at the recommended Self-Funded journey which shows the whole process.

If you need to get your skills and experience recognised to the industry Level 3 benchmark, the Electrotechnical Experienced Worker Assessment can help.

It’s the assessment process to recognise occupational competence for people who have been working as an electrician for typically over five years but haven’t been able to complete an apprenticeship or achieve an equivalent Level 3 vocational qualification.

The Experienced Worker Assessment is based on the same content as the electrotechnical apprenticeship, so that both new entrants and existing workers are now being assessed and accredited against the same industry standard.

The main benefit is that your existing qualifications, skills and experience can count towards the Experienced Worker qualification criteria, so you’ll only need to fill in any gaps.

Take a look at the Experienced Worker route. You can also find out more about the Experienced Worker Assessment on the TESP website.