Only one in every ten people who enrol in a funded classroom-based electricians’ course, go on to secure an apprenticeship in the following 12 months. Without more electricians, whole areas of the UK will be left behind in the transition to low carbon technologies.
The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) is urging the Government to take immediate action to address the nationwide shortage of skilled electricians. The ECA’s ‘Electrical Skills Index’ – a dataset analysing how many people in England are starting classroom-based courses compared to apprenticeships – reveals a troubling landscape: Labour-held constituencies are experiencing the most significant shortfalls in electrical skills, posing serious challenges to achieving the UK’s net zero goals and ensuring consumer safety for the roll-out of green-technologies.
Key findings from the Electrical Skills Index:
- Labour-led areas face the highest electrical skills gaps, with regions such as the North West, West Midlands, and parts of London ranking among the most affected.
- Only 10% of learners enrolled in government-funded, classroom-based electrical courses successfully transition to apprenticeships within a year.
- Apprenticeship opportunities are overshadowed by classroom-based enrolments, which outnumber them 3 to 1, despite their limited practical relevance.
- Classroom-based courses have increased by 15% over the past five years, highlighting a growing disconnect between training and employability.
Labour’s commitments to both break down the barriers to opportunity for young people and deliver net-zero, rely on a robust pipeline of electrical skills, but with 90% unable to get a foothold in the industry, the opportunities for economic growth are limited.
Andrew Eldred, Chief Operating Officer at the ECA says: “The government’s vision for economic growth, clean energy, and expanding opportunities depends on tackling the broken electrical skills pipeline head-on.
Building a robust supply of apprentices and creating meaningful, employer-backed pathways for those finishing classroom-based courses are essential steps toward a stronger, safer, and more sustainable future.”
The core issue highlighted by the Electrical Skills Index is the critical difference between practical training and classroom learning. Classroom-based courses alone do not produce fully qualified electricians. These programmes lack the practical, industry-ready skills necessary for learners to transition into the workforce effectively, underscoring the need for a skills policy that prioritises practical, hands-on apprenticeships and industry-led training.
With the newly formed Skills England striving to understand the national picture and guide the allocation of resources throughout the skills system, it is crucial to recognise the risks of over-reliance on classroom-based courses. Investment in these courses must be complemented by stronger pathways to work-based training, especially apprenticeships, to ensure learners gain the comprehensive skills required to contribute to key sectors, such as the built environment and decarbonisation.
The ECA calls for a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both Further Education and hands-on apprenticeships. Without such alignment, the risk remains that learners completing classroom courses will be locked out of the industry, unable to gain the practical experience required to meet industry standards and contribute to critical sectors.
To fix the broken pipeline, the ECA recommends:
- Increasing the number of electrical apprenticeship opportunities to align with industry demands.
- Strengthening pathways from classroom-based courses to industry employment.
- Prioritising electricians’ training as a key component of the net zero strategy.
More information can be found in the ECA’s Charter to Recharge Electrical Skills.
Find more industry feature articles here
