The fact is that a career within the electrical sphere is a frequent alternative for many people. Within this document we will not use the full term of Electro-Mechanical Engineering but use the term Electrical Industry instead. Equally we'll focus on those credentials that fit the UK domestic and commercial sector rather than those from around the world. Due to the huge list of opportunities available for a career in the electrical industry, we have to begin by focusing on the main areas and look at the 'add-ons' later on.
Essentially, we see two distinct forms of entry into the electrical market. The primary route is the apprenticeship which is considered the more traditional and then we have the second phase for those who are joining at a later stage. For the sake of clarity throughout, the first will be known as 'Junior Entrants' and the second simply known as 'Mature Entrants.'
Mature Entrants who join the industry later on do so with the aim of working for themselves, usually as a one person business. By contrast, Junior entrants would seek to work with an established electrical firm and build their skill-sets as they train. To be fair, young apprentices leaving school will have a lot of supplementary skills to learn during their early years as a working adult.
Clearly these two options have both differing training styles and methods of entry. Junior entrants go through NVQ training in England and Wales, and SVQ training in Scotland. An NVQ qualification would need to be obtained as part of the training program. New employees gain the necessary course work and testing elements through an apprenticeship or some form of suitable work program.
By opting to work on a freelance basis, many Mature Entrants appear to focus on those areas that provide profitable and practical solutions other than NVQ's. Having said that, the mature student does aim to gain the necessary skills to do the job, whilst at the same time reducing their training costs at all times. Although this may offer quicker and more commercial options, it does reduce the official requirements set for certain areas of the industry.
Salaries are often simply broken down to those that relate to self -employed people and those in general employment. Obviously, with self-employment, there is the added issue of whether the Entrant is part-time (working around another job) or full-time; we will concentrate on full-time. Skill and knowledge levels can often determine salary levels, although this is equally via a proven ability or certification scheme.
'Junior Entrants' can expect a basic salary of 12K at the beginning of their training. With application and experience this figure often more than doubles in time. 'Mature Entrants' salaries though are often more difficult to work out, but can rise to 70.000 and above as reported in UK newspapers. Regardless of all that is the need to cover off additional costs such as tools, clothes and even a vehicle and all that goes along with that. Furthermore, professional items such as accountancy, tax and insurance need to be considered to make the business work properly. Whilst there is lots of available work, a severe skills shortage means electricians are very much in demand. If a student wanted to work every day of the week this would be possible in some areas. To be fair, high salaries bounded about by the press do require long working hours or help to achieve them.
It should be noted that the working week for most electricians differs between the Junior and Mature Entrant markets. Most 'Junior Entrants' do not work at the weekends. That aside the Mature market is equally affected by when their clients are available - this is especially so within the domestic sector, where evening and weekend work predominates. This alters quite a bit, with lots of self employed electricians gaining much of their income from small office work, which is predominantly Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.
If a Junior Electrician chooses an electrical career, then the main business actions of their company often dictate the type of expertise that they gain. Alternatively, the mature entrant can gain other training outside of their chosen field, such as gas and plumbing work. If they are working mostly in the domestic market, this makes it easier for them to take on larger jobs across a range of disciplines (without having to sub-contract.)
A new trade example is that of the 'Green Engineer'. This new service to the industry could fit into the overall skill-set of an electrician. The curiosity of both Junior and Mature Electricians to this new industry is well founded especially when considering the power of the UK and the EEC markets in areas of growth and governmental projects.
(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Browse around electricaltrainingcoursesgb.co.uk or Electrician Courses.
