Training
Could new training obligations widen the electrical skills gap?
Electricians have been voicing concerns over changes to training and qualifications. CEF examines what this could mean for individuals, and for the industry.
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n the last ten years, the UK’s electrical skills gap has moved from a distant threat to a day-to-day reality. Demand for electrical work is rising faster than ever, driven by our increasing reliance on technology, yet the number of new qualified electricians just isn’t keeping up with that demand.
With new qualification criteria and regulatory changes ahead, including the new EAS requirements, that gap could grow even wider. So, what can the industry do to make sure that those necessary changes to standards and compliance can take place without impacting the availability of skills? Is it a case of supporting businesses to take on more apprentices, making training for experienced electricians easier to access, or a combination of the two? In CEF’s recent Tech Talks, electricians at different stages of their careers have been voicing their concerns about new training
30 | electrical wholesaler October 2026
obligations and what they could mean for each of them personally.
Less apprentices, more retirements, a growing skills gap
In 2025, 37% of electrical businesses told an ECA survey that a shortage of qualified electricians is holding back growth. Apprenticeship start rates are falling, with new electrical apprenticeships down 5.5% according to the latest Electrical Skills Index. Meanwhile, around 30% of the electrical workforce is over 50, with 10,000-20,000 electricians retiring every year.
Put those statistics together, and it paints a troubling portrait of the immediate future of electrical skills availability, at a time when the need for electrical services, both domestic and commercial, is rapidly increasing. To put it into context: according to one study, 10,000 electrician vacancies in the UK were unfilled in 2025, and that’s before factoring in the additional
demand expected from the UK’s transition to cleaner energy and transport over the rest of the decade.
One of the more surprising aspects of the skills gap is that interest in the profession doesn’t appear to be the problem. Last year, 26,000 learners enrolled on electrical courses, yet only a fraction (some estimates say less than 20%) went on to complete an apprenticeship or start an electrical career.
Clearly, there is interest in becoming an electrician. The challenge is helping more of those learners take the next step into the profession – and helping businesses to support them, as well as benefit from them. Part of the challenge is capacity from a business perspective. Taking on apprentices requires time, resource and investment from employers, many of whom are already stretched trying to keep up with demand. At the same time, those experienced electricians are being
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