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How to Become an Electrician Without Apprenticeship

You may think that being an electrician as a young person necessitates an apprenticeship. This is incorrect; there are many directions you may take if you choose to become a trade professional. So placed, in whichever course you select, you will get training, practice, and qualifications. This can be achieved with an apprenticeship, although it is often possible to acquire through training courses. Today, we’d like to compare the two paths and discuss how you can get started.

Electrician education

Let us emphasise that the skills and knowledge acquired in both ways are the same, as are the skills and knowledge needed. Both qualification paths must contain the same content to meet City & Guilds standards, and you would need the same information to take the relevant tests. One difference is that teaching at a centre would not require you to pass level 2 Maths and English, a requirement for an apprenticeship.

So, what are the main differences?

Most of them are that you must depend on others when it comes to apprenticeships. To start an apprenticeship, you must first choose an employer, which takes time and means that your education remains in someone else’s hands. In comparison, teaching at a centre puts a large portion of the blame on you.

“Well, with an apprenticeship, you get paid, but I’d have to pay for tuition,” you might think, but the pay is often less than minimum wage, and the apprenticeship lasts just four years. Students who research at a centre become well-educated, self-sufficient, and able to start making money in the workplace even faster, typically within a year of starting their journey.

What credentials are needed to work as an electrician?

Regardless of how you look at it, being an electrician necessitates education, experience, and qualifications. In addition, it takes time and commitment to become a professional.

The aim is to take you from beginner to fully qualified and “Approved Electrician.” It will help if you start by learning the basic requirements for performing an electrical installation and information about the operation and organisation of the electrical industry.

As a result, you’ll have a Level 3 NVQ qualification and a Gold CSCS card marking you as an approved electrician.

Many centres are unrivalled, with big classrooms and ample workshop space for the practical aspects of the electrician courses they teach. 

Initially, the course will last 15 weeks, during which time you can receive the following certification

  • City & Guilds Level 2
  • City & Guilds Level 3
  • 18th Edition / Wiring Regulations
  • Portable Appliance Testing
  • Level 3 Award in Inspection and Testing

Following the initial testing, the NVQ and AM2 will be the following assessments on the schedule, but you would almost certainly determine the dates for these tests. Work-based inspections can be arranged while working in the industry, and you may come in and sit for the AM2 assessment anytime you are able.

But there’s one problem!

You may also enrol in one of the several Domestic Electrician classes available. These short courses, though, will only provide you with a limited set of skills and experience, much less than what is required of a professionally qualified electrician.

Updated on September 7, 2022

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