In the last XS Training blog the focus was how the industry itself has evolved. In this post, we will look at how the qualifications have changed to suit the needs of more complex installations.

It used to be that historically there was only one way to become a qualified Electrician… get an apprenticeship. Now there are many ways to gain this status.

Courses such as Levels 2 and 3 of City and Guilds 2365 can be taken by people who are fresh to the industry and looking to change their career – and they can then lead on to NVQs and ultimately the ever-present AM2 final exam.

There are also pathways for those working within the industry who have a wealth of skill in carrying out their job but don’t hold the formal qualifications to back this up, such as the Experienced Worker route introduced by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP).

You can find out more all the different training route pathways here… https://www.electricalcareers.co.uk/joining-the-industry/training-routes/

Once qualified many electricians will only ever take training when they need to for the changes in Wiring Regulations, as some feel that this is all they need to do.

But as the industry changes to meet the needs of the greener world we live in, today more and more qualifications are produced to make sure that these installations are designed and installed to ensure efficiency and safety for the people using them.

Fitting a car charging point, for example, is not as simple as just putting in a glorified outside socket. There are many things that need to be considered if anything does go wrong – in order to protect human life – but also a potentially very expensive car setting fire!

From a training provider’s point of view it is pleasing to see that the new series of qualifications for EV Charging, Solar PV Installation and Electrical Energy Storage Systems (batteries) require the person wanting to gain these qualifications is a qualified Electrician in the first place.

City and Guilds changed to the 2921 Electric Vehicle Charging Installations course this year and now the focus in this course is the correct design of the charger through things like cable selection and PEN fault detection rather than how to terminate a cable and test like it did in the older version of this course.

Many of the older qualifications for new technologies allowed anyone to take a course, gain a certificate and get out there to install things without anything other than basic knowledge and very little background on the science and maths of how it all works, let alone the practices for safe installation.

As the Solar and EESS market grows and more Electricians look to enter this market, again more qualifications are required. To go with this TESP are now looking at the prospect of adding to the status of an Electrician who has undertaken qualifications in these areas to be given the title of “Electrician Plus” to highlight that they have a higher skill set than those who don’t add to their career development profile.

Along with formal qualifications in the traditional sense, many companies who produce the equipment that make up the new breed of low-carbon energy-saving installations offer tailored CPD courses.

These in-house sessions are designed to give the qualified installer even more knowledge specific to the brand they are working with. This allows the installer to become more of a specialist in this field and how to set up the system to work as efficiently as possible and more importantly for the customer, save them the most money when it comes to buying less energy from the grid.

These courses can also introduce the Electrician into the world of programming and how it is possible for the electrical energy produced by solar to be stored in not only batteries but also water tanks to heat homes or integrate with heat pump installations.

As you can see from this mini-blog series, a lot has changed in the industry with new technologies and the qualifications that go with them. The electrical industry is constantly changing, and it is an exciting prospect to be able to change with it.

XS Training can help Electricians expand into this growing market

At XS Training we are delighted to announce that we will very soon be offering courses for both the installation of Solar Photo Voltaic Panels and Electrical Energy Storage Systems, in our new premises in Leeds.

This will be delivered from the awarding body LCL and is one of the current qualifications required to gain MCS accreditation. MCS is required by many energy companies for any excess energy that is exported back to the grid to be paid to the customer. We can offer this as separate courses or as a combination of the two.

Along with the exciting new qualification packages for PV and EESS, XS Training offers 2391 Inspection and Testing, 18th Edition Courses and 2921 Electric Vehicle Charging courses to help the existing Electrician meet the needs of the ever-changing Industry. We also offer a wide range of Electrical courses for those starting out on the journey to becoming qualified in this exciting field.​

Call us on 0800 170 0294, or click here NOW to gain more information.