Lots of people choose a career within the electrical industry because it both appeals and motivates them. Within this document we will not use the full term of Electro-Mechanical Engineering but use the term Electrical Industry instead. Equally we\’ll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. By starting on the main subjects and checking the \’add-ons\’ later on we can review the centre of the electrical industry.
Basically there are two clear ways to gain admission into the electrical market. The primary route is the apprenticeship which is considered the more traditional and then we have the second phase for those who are joining at a later stage. For the sake of clarity throughout, the first will be known as \’Junior Entrants\’ and the second simply known as \’Mature Entrants.\’
Mature students, or entrants, often train so that they can become self-employed and work on their own projects without having to pay wages to external electricians. Alternatively, \’Junior Entrants\’ will pick up lots of their work place skills by working with an already reputable electrical company. Upon leaving school many apprenticeships provide a fast learning curve for young adults looking to boost their auxiliary skills.
The distinct types of entry have differing styles of training – Junior entrants go through NVQ training in England and Wales, and SVQ training in Scotland. An NVQ qualification would need to be obtained as part of the training program. Often, this means that students have to gain an apprenticeship in order to be able to realise the course work and testing requirements of the job.
Mature Entrants do not appear to seek the NVQ element but instead they go after the most commercially suitable qualifications. In the main the person will aim to gain the best from their investment costs against the return for that training. Although this may offer quicker and more commercial options, it does reduce the official requirements set for certain areas of the industry.
In terms of typical earnings, we have two clear routes – those relating to employment and those for self-employment. For the sake of this document we will assume that everyone involved in electrical employment is working full-time. The aptitude and talent for getting things done can affect the levels of salary as well as any experience or knowledge gained.
With the right level of experience, \’Junior Entrants\’ salaries can rise considerably from twelve to thirty thousand pounds per annum. On the other hand experienced self-employed electricians have been known to earn around 70 thousand or more within the UK. Irrespective of this salary level many self-employed people also need to manage extra business costs such as tools, clothes and vans. Earmarked within this is the need to cover additional expenses such as accountancy or insurance. Whilst there is lots of available work, a severe skills shortage means electricians are very much in demand. If a student wanted to work every day of the week this would be possible in some areas. To be fair, high salaries bounded about by the press do require long working hours or help to achieve them.
There is often a considerable differential between the working expectations of Mature or Junior Entrants. Monday to Friday 9-5 would be the working week of most \’Junior Entrants\’. Whereas the Mature market can be more dependent on the domestic market for some – i.e. weekend and evening work, when their clients are available and back from work. Again, this varies considerably, and many self-employed electricians make the mainstay of their income from office and small business installation, testing and inspection, which is Mon-Fri 9-5pm.
Once a Junior Entrant is employed within a company, then any follow-on knowledge they gain is often down to the employers\’ activity as opposed to anything else. The mature entrant, on the other hand, may seek training outside of their core electrical field, possibly including plumbing and gas work. Within the domestic market this allows them to work under a range of headings without having to rely upon sub contract suppliers.
An area that is relatively new to the industry overall, yet requires new expertise is that of \’Green Engineering\’. With expected growth through new employment contracts and business options, this new entity is extremely attractive to many Junior and Mature Electricians, especially when considering the UK and EEC support overall.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Pop to Electrician Courses or Click HERE.
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