On a highways electrician or service operative apprenticeship course, you’ll help supervise electrical equipment and systems installation and servicing on roads and motorways.
This apprenticeship has two roles: highways electrician and service operative, both of which deal with the installation and maintenance of street lights, traffic signals, safety cameras, and highway communications.
As an apprentice, you will install, maintain (including fault diagnosis and repairs), inspect, and test low voltage roadway electrical equipment and systems.
You’ll be in charge of carrying out emergency attendance and emergency works (for example, if a vehicle collides with a streetlight) and ensuring proper health, safety, and environmental regulations, including the Highway Electrical Registration Scheme, are followed.
You’ll ensure that your work is done quickly, effectively, and safely, all while keeping strong working relationships and being adaptive enough to work alone or as part of a team and supervise the work of others.
What you’ll learn
On a highways electrician or service operative apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:
- Recognise the many types of equipment and systems used in the highway electrical sector and their working principles and methods of installation and maintenance.
- Plan, prepare, and organise work on-site safely and efficiently, including obtaining the necessary plant, tools, materials, and competent people; allocating resources; establishing individual responsibilities; and ensuring the scope of work is understood.
- Recognise how to install and physically install and connect a variety of roadway electrical equipment and components (e.g., cables, fuses, distribution boards).
- Conduct electrical and, if necessary, visual structural examination and testing on highway electrical equipment, record the results, decide if the system satisfies industry standards and is safe.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- Complete the level 2 highway electrical maintenance and installation operative apprenticeship.
- Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level before taking the end-point assessment.
Assessment methods
The End Point Assessment consists of three distinct assessment methods:
- Presentation
- Professional discussion
- Practical assessment
Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion
- Duration: 24 months
-
Level: 3 – Advanced Apprenticeship
- Relevant school subjects: Engineering, DT
- Potential salary upon completion: £32,000 per annum
Apprenticeship standard
More information about the Level 3 Highways Electrician or Service Operative Apprenticeship standard can be found here.
Apprenticeship end point assessment
For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.