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If you’re interested in becoming a fully qualified practising electrician there are two main routes you can take. The first is an apprenticeship, which is a good option if you’re under 25 or want to become an electrician straight out of school. If, however, you are coming to the profession at a later stage of your career, or an apprenticeship isn’t suitable, you can train to become an electrician at a Technical Further Education (FE) College, or Commercial Training Centre.
Is there a real difference between these two types of training providers, and how do you make the best choice?
Technical FE College
Further Education Colleges are found in most towns and cities across the UK and provide a variety of theory-based courses to help candidates qualify as an electrician and train learners in the necessary skills to lead to meaningful employment in the electrotechnical industry. Courses cover a wide variety of topics, from basic electrical theory to wiring installation, inspection and testing, and electrical system diagnosis.
Your course will cover a wide range of electrotechnical skills, including:
- Safe working practices.
- Methods for testing, designing, constructing, and commissioning a variety of electrical systems.
- Troubleshooting, diagnosis, and repair of electrical faults.
- Legal requirements and industry best practices.
Many colleges also provide support services with career advice and guidance on job opportunities, which can be especially helpful for younger trainees without prior experience in the sector, or who are just starting out in their careers.
To apply for a course at an FE college, you will usually require GCSE maths and English grade 4/C or higher,
Courses are usually either full-time or day release and may involve a work placement and elements of on-the-job practical training.
Commercial Training Centre
A commercial training centre offers an alternative route to becoming a qualified electrician for trainees who are unable to commit to full-time education or need to balance their training with other family and work commitments.
Commercial training courses cover the same regulatory and practical aspects as a college course but are often constructed more directly around the needs of businesses and the practical training requirements of new electricians, making them more responsive to current industry trends.
Commercial training courses tend to be delivered over a shorter timeframe than college courses – weeks rather than months or years – and may offer a selection of flexible learning modalities for adult trainees, including self-paced learning, part-time evening classes, and intensive residential courses.
Many commercial training courses are intended for complete beginners and combine everything a new electrician needs to become fully qualified. In the case of PTT, for example, our training courses consist of three stages.
- First, trainees undergo a level II foundational electrical course that establishes the framework of knowledge and skills to build more advanced knowledge.
- Secondly, this foundation is built upon a level III advanced course that provides competency in a range of fields, supported by practical learning and training methods in the workshop and classroom.
- Thirdly, the core qualifications are followed up completing work-based portfolio of evidence which requires the candidate to be employed typically as an electricians mate. This is supplemented by additional training that gives the trainee a thorough understanding of the latest wiring regulations, inspection, and testing methods, as well as knowledge of specialist fields of electrotechnical engineering, such as renewable energies and electric vehicle charging.
Making The Right Choice For Your Career
Both college-based and commercial training options are valid pathways to becoming a qualified and skilled electrician, and the resulting qualifications you’ll receive are the same or similar. The right choice of training pathway is ultimately based on your lifestyle and preferences.
Commercial training courses are usually more flexible, shorter, and more oriented towards practical knowledge and a mature adult audience, while a college course will give younger trainees a better theoretical foundation in the electrical science and theory involved in the profession – which for some learners may aid memory attention and applicability of knowledge.
To discuss your options and find out if commercial training with PTT might be the best route for you, please contact us today, or click here to find out more about our training routes.
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