• • • TRADE SKILLS • • •
THE LOW-CARBON ELECTRICAL WORKFORCE REVEALED…
BY HARRY BUDD, MARKETING DIRECTOR, LOGIC4TRAINING T
he transition to net zero is increasingly being driven by adults in their 30s and 40s retraining in the trades for more secure, practical and better-paid work. We’ve been analysing our own training data
recently, partly to understand how the trends we’re seeing in our centres reflect the wider conversation happening across the industry. Across our new entrant programmes, 94 per cent of people achieving qualifications between 2021 and early 2026 were aged 25 or older, while almost half were aged between 30 and 49. At the same time, the percentage of under 25s starting electrical new entrant training with us more than doubled in four years, rising from 9 per cent of trainees in 2021 to 22 per cent in 2025. Together, those figures paint a revealing picture of the modern workforce. The building services engineering industry is increasingly attracting both younger entrants looking for future-focused technical careers, and experienced adults seeking long-term stability, flexibility and meaningful work in a rapidly changing economy.
Electrification of the trades As homes and businesses become increasingly smart, with connected devices and integrated energy systems, demand for electrical skills is outpacing the qualified workforce. Skills England
22 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2026
identity electrical work as a critical priority occupation, with millions of electrical upgrades required to reach Net Zero targets. Modern electricians are expected to work confidently with digital technologies, testing equipment, energy systems, regulations and increasingly sophisticated integrated environments. In many ways, the role is becoming more technical, more specialised and more strongly rooted in the low carbon future, offering a secure and potentially lucrative career for those with the right skills.
Workforce gap vs skills gap The workforce gap in the trades has been widening long before decarbonisation became a priority and the move towards electrification in the heating, transport and energy industries is increasing that gap even further. A recent analysis of government and industry statistics found that the UK could be short of one million tradespeople by 2032, while Skills England estimates that an additional 12,000 to 15,000 new electricians are needed by 2030.
But it is not just a case of numbers. Regulatory updates and rapidly advancing technologies are creating new roles and opportunities at a scale the sector has never seen before. We need more new entrants, but we also need fresh perspectives and new capabilities from other industries to create a rich workforce that can meet the challenges of the future. Historically, discussions around skills shortages in construction and engineering have often focused heavily on school-leavers and apprenticeships. Apprenticeships remain hugely
important, but as our own data suggests, they are no longer the only meaningful route into the sector.
Rise of the adult career changer The largest single age group completing our electrical training was people in their 30s, while trainees in their 40s also formed a consistently large proportion year-on-year, reflecting a wider shift taking place across the UK labour market. According to ONS data, the 30–49 age group represents the biggest share of the national workforce, and it is also the stage of working life when career changes are most common. Rising living costs, childcare, wage stagnation in some sectors and changing expectations around job security have all contributed to increased mid-career retraining across vocational and technical occupations. The electrical sector offers practical skills, visible progression, long-term demand and the possibility of self-employment or business ownership; qualities that many career changers are actively seeking.
Opportunities for young people For years, the narrative around careers advice in the UK has been heavily weighted towards university. School leavers have often been encouraged to see higher education as the default route to success, while the trades have struggled against the outdated stereotype that training as a plumbing and heating engineer or electrician is less intellectually demanding than other occupations.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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