Day December 22, 2025

That deceptively simple question — “Are you really an engineer if you can’t fix my washing machine?” — has a habit of sticking with people. It was first put to me by my mother when I was still at secondary…

On 12 August 2025, the IET Auckland Network returned to Waikowhai Intermediate School to deliver its second annual Project X electronics workshop. While the programme itself ran for just one day, its impact reached far beyond the classroom, offering students…

The process industries sit quietly behind many of the products people use every day. From food and drink to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paints, and coatings, these sectors underpin modern life. Yet despite their scale and importance, they rarely feature in mainstream…

Engineers design, build, and maintain the systems the modern world depends on. From energy and transport to communications, manufacturing, and healthcare, their work underpins daily life. Yet behind the technical competence and professional resilience, engineers are also people navigating the…

Physical demands of UK electrical work vary significantly by sector and career stage, with critical distinctions affecting older learners aged 35 to 60+ considering entry or retraining. Sector variability is substantial. Domestic installation and commercial first fix involve high-intensity lifting, overhead work, kneeling, work at height. Facilities maintenance and testing/inspection roles present moderate to low physical demands focusing on diagnostic work, methodical assessment, less manual labor. Industrial maintenance varies by plant environment but often includes heavy equipment and extreme temperatures. Specialist pathways (EV charging, solar, fire alarms, BMS) present mixed demands depending on specific discipline. 

The question appears constantly in search boxes and training forums: "Can you become an electrician without GCSEs?" The answer creates confusion because the legal position differs from funding rules, which differ from qualification requirements, which differ from employer behavior, and all of it gets wrapped together into blanket statements that aren't quite accurate. Here is the legal reality. UK law contains no requirement for GCSEs to work as an electrician. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require persons to possess "sufficient technical knowledge and experience" to prevent danger. Nothing specifies school qualifications. You could theoretically have left education at 16 with no certificates, spent decades developing electrical competence through employment, and work legally as electrician if you can demonstrate capability. 

Is it actually possible to become an electrician whilst working full-time and supporting a family? The question sits behind most training enquiries from adults in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who have mortgages, childcare responsibilities, and household bills that cannot pause for career retraining. The answer splits into two parts. Starting training is possible whilst maintaining full-time employment. Completing qualification is not possible without eventually transitioning into site-based electrical work that provides evidence for NVQ Level 3 portfolio assessment. The distinction between these two stages creates most of the confusion and ultimately most of the failures.