Reasons to Become an Electrician and the Skills You Need to Do So

Electricians play a crucial role in society, ensuring that our power systems stay running and providing a variety of domestic repairs. If you’re interested in a career that provides a range of opportunities, job security and job satisfaction, then pursuing a career as an electrician may be perfect for you! In this blog we will discuss some of the top reasons to become an electrician and what skills would be helpful to you in this type of career.

Steady Demand for Electricians

One of the top reasons to become an electrician is because of how much of a high demand there is for trained electricians. Today our society relies on electricity to go about our daily lives, so electricians will always be required to help install and maintain electrical systems. This steady demand will give you job security going into the future.

Useful Skills

Learning trade skills like electrics, will always come in handy in other areas of your life. Once you have learnt how to repair and install certain things around the home, you will be able to transfer these tools to help you at home. These types of practical skills are also transferrable.

Lucrative Earning Potential

According to a survey carried out by Trade Skills 4 U in 2022, the highest average trade salary was electricians averaging at around £33,636* per year. While you may not necessarily want to choose a career based on the salary alone as you will want to enjoy the work that you do, the earning potential for electricians makes it a more attractive career choice.

Continuous Learning

Technology is always developing, so there are always new opportunities to learn more about your trade and other trades which could fit in well with your current skills. Staying up to date in your training can help to improve your standard of work and make it easier to solve any new challenges that may arise. At the Energy Academy we have courses in many different trades including gas, oil, and renewables, which could help you widen your skill set further.

Diverse Career Paths

Once you have learnt trade skills which are applicable in many areas, it can offer a diverse range of career paths for where you can work. Electricians are always needed, whether that be in domestic homes, commercial offices, or industrial buildings. Learning this trade gives you the opportunity to decide where you want to spend your time and whether you want to further develop and specialise your skills later on in a certain area.

Job Variety

Working in a trade like electrics gives you a variety of different experiences and challenges every day. No two days are ever the same - you will be able to vary your working environment, providing you with flexibility and freedom within your job.

Independence

Training as an electrician gives you the opportunity to work independently on projects which you can choose. It can also give you the chance to become your own boss if you are interested in learning entrepreneurial skills, where you can start your own business and be more in control of what you do.

Job Satisfaction and Community Impact

With the right motivation, you can continue to work on new challenges and feel the satisfaction of completing jobs regularly. Seeing the immediate results of your hard work consistently can give you a sense of pride in what you do. It can also be encouraging that you are able to make an impact on peoples’ lives through what you do. As an electrician you have the chance to make a difference in your local community, where you can help in homes, schools, hospitals, and local businesses. Your work can be vital to helping run the community that you live in!

The Skills You Need

If you are interested in starting a career as an electrical engineer, there are a selection of skills that would be helpful for you to have before you get started! These are our top suggestions for skills that you will need:

• Technical knowledge:

Completing a certified training course before becoming an electrician is important in ensuring that you are following legal requirements, are able to do your job safely and that you can complete any job to a high standard.

• Problem-solving skills:

You will receive different challenges every day so problem solving skills are key. You need to be able to diagnose what any problems are correctly and find an effective solution using the knowledge that you have.

• Attention to detail:

Having a keen eye for detail will allow you to complete your work at a higher standard and help to minimise any mistakes that could be costly.

• Safety awareness:

Safety awareness and training is very important, as electricity can be dangerous. Completing certified training regularly ensures that you can follow updated safety guidelines and reduces the risk of hurting yourself and others!

• Customer service skills:

Good communication and customer service skills are crucial for building trust with your customers. You will need to communicate with customers regularly to be able to understand any issues that they are having with their electrics. You also need to be able to explain complicated jobs to customers in simpler terms for them to understand and address any concerns that they may have.

• Time management:

During a typical workday there is a high chance that you will have to complete multiple jobs at different places. Keeping on top of appointment times and ensuring that you leave enough time to complete each job fully will help you stay professional and reliable.

• Ethical and professional conduct:

Staying professional at work is key to ensure safety for yourself and your customers. It can also help build a reputation with your customers that you are trustworthy and reliable.

If you are interested in starting a career as an engineer, here at Energy Academy we currently offer two electrical courses – find out more about these here.

If you have any other questions about how we can help to guide you through your training to become a professional tradesperson, you can contact us by calling 0345 521 0369 or by emailing info@energy-academy.co.uk 

Information Sources:

* Trade Skills 4 U