Can You Train Part-Time or in Evenings While Working? (UK Electrician Training) 

Assessing feasibility by current employment and circumstances. 

Scenario 1: Office Job, No Site Access, Career Changer 

Current situation: Working standard 9-to-5 office job, no construction or electrical experience, interested in complete career change to electrical work. 

Best-fit approach: 

Step 1 (Months 0-18): Enroll in Level 2 Diploma evening course at local Further Education college (2 evenings weekly). Continue office employment for income stability. Study theory and complete workshop practicals in evenings. Obtain ECS Labourer card using Level 2 enrollment/completion as qualification basis. Complete CSCS Health and Safety test (basic site access credential). 

Step 2 (Months 12-18): While completing Level 2, begin applying for electrician’s mate positions. Use Level 2 enrollment/completion to demonstrate electrical interest and basic knowledge. Emphasize reliability, willingness to learn, physical capability. Accept that mate wages (£18,000 to £24,000 typically) represent significant reduction from office salary but provide critical site access. 

Step 3 (Months 18-24): If mate employment secured, consider whether to continue Level 3 Diploma in evenings or request employer-supported day release. Some employers may fund Level 3 once you’ve proven reliability as mate. If mate employment not secured by Level 2 completion, continue applying while potentially starting Level 3 evenings (higher risk, see diploma-completion trap section). 

Step 4 (Months 24-48): With mate employment providing site access, enroll in NVQ Level 3 through training provider with employer coordination. Gather portfolio evidence from actual work. Complete 18th Edition if not done previously. Study Level 3 theory if needed. Work toward AM2 readiness. 

Step 5 (Month 48+): Once NVQ portfolio substantially complete and all theory current, book AM2 assessment (2.5 days, requires annual leave). Pass AM2, obtain ECS Gold Card, progress to qualified electrician wages and responsibilities. 

Risk notes: High risk of pathway stalling if mate employment not secured. Office-to-mate wage reduction (£10,000 to £15,000 annually) creates financial stress potentially preventing career change completion. Extended timeline (4+ years) tests commitment. No guarantee of mate employment despite Level 2 completion. Why Elec Training’s guaranteed placement changes this scenario: Active recruitment on your behalf specifically addresses the mate employment barrier preventing progression. 120+ contractor partnerships and 100+ employer calls per learner significantly increase probability of securing site access needed to complete pathway rather than stalling after diploma completion. 

Scenario 2: Already Working as Mate or Improver 

Current situation: Currently employed as electrician’s mate or improver with contractor, receiving supervision from qualified electrician, exposed to varied electrical installations. 

Best-fit approach: 

Step 1: Verify employer willingness to support NVQ assessment (assessor site visits, supervisor witness testimonies, portfolio evidence collection). If employer supportive, immediately enroll in NVQ Level 3 with provider coordinating assessor visits to your workplace. If employer unsupportive or uncertain, address concerns or consider changing employers before committing to NVQ enrollment fees. 

Step 2: If Level 2/3 diplomas not completed, enroll in evening courses while working. This maintains income while completing knowledge components. If already holding Level 2/3, verify 18th Edition current (within 3 years typically, though no formal expiry, industry standard for currency). 

Step 3: Focus portfolio development on current work. Photograph installations, obtain witness testimonies from supervisor, organize evidence systematically. Coordinate quarterly assessor visits with employer scheduling. 

Step 4: Complete 18th Edition if not current. Continue gathering diverse portfolio evidence. Some NVQ units require specific installation types (commercial systems, three-phase, testing procedures) that may need intentional exposure request from employer. 

Step 5: Once NVQ portfolio substantially complete, book AM2 assessment. Request annual leave 3 to 6 months advance notice to employer. Pass AM2, obtain Gold Card, negotiate qualified electrician wages and responsibilities with current employer or move to higher-paying qualified role elsewhere. 

Risk notes: Employer support variability. Small contractors or sole traders may lack capacity for assessor visits or diverse installation types needed for complete NVQ portfolio. Some domestic-only contractors provide insufficient commercial exposure for portfolio breadth. Limited task variety may prolong portfolio completion. However, significantly lower risk than career changer scenario because workplace access already secured. Pathway completion depends on maintaining employment and employer cooperation, not securing new employment from zero experience starting point. 

Scenario 3: Working in Facilities Management or Maintenance with Electrical Exposure 

Current situation: Employed in facilities management, building maintenance, or similar role involving some electrical work (testing, minor repairs, planned preventative maintenance) but not electrical installations contractor. 

Best-fit approach: 

Step 1: Assess whether current employer will support NVQ qualification. Facilities and maintenance sectors sometimes support upskilling for staff retention. However, reactive maintenance and testing work may not provide sufficient new installation evidence required for standard NVQ Level 3 (which emphasizes installation competence, not just maintenance). 

Step 2: If employer supportive and work includes sufficient installation tasks, pursue NVQ directly. If work primarily testing/maintenance without new installations, consider either: (a) requesting installation project exposure, (b) supplementing with evening volunteer work or side installations under qualified supervision, (c) changing to electrical installations contractor for portfolio breadth. 

Step 3: Complete Level 2/3 diplomas and 18th Edition via evening courses if not already done. These credentials plus existing electrical work exposure position you better for potential employer change to installations contractor if needed for NVQ evidence. 

Step 4: Pursue NVQ qualification via whichever route provides adequate installation evidence (current employer if supportive and work suitable, or new employer if needed). Complete AM2 when portfolio developed. 

Risk notes: Facilities/maintenance sector work often doesn’t provide comprehensive installation evidence required for standard NVQ Level 3. May need employer change mid-qualification. Supervisor qualifications matter (must be qualified electrician for witness testimonies, not just facilities manager). Some learners find facilities work provides testing/inspection evidence well but lacks first-fix and containment installation breadth. Alternative: Consider testing-focused qualifications (2391 Inspection and Testing) as specialization rather than full installation route. 

Scenario 4: Self-Employed in Another Trade (Time Constraints, Evidence Access) 

Current situation: Working as self-employed plumber, carpenter, builder, or other trade. Variable working hours but income dependent on continuous work. Limited availability for evening classes due to exhausted from physical work or irregular schedules. 

Best-fit approach: 

Step 1: Realistically assess whether electrical retraining compatible with self-employment demands. Self-employed workers often have less schedule flexibility than assumed because client commitments and income needs prevent regular evening class attendance. Consider whether reducing self-employed hours to part-time creates sufficient income for living costs plus course fees. 

Step 2: If proceeding, enroll in Level 2 evening course attempting to maintain self-employed work alongside. This tests commitment and feasibility before larger investment. Consider intensive block courses (if available and affordable) using earned time off from self-employment rather than weekly evening commitment. 

Step 3: For NVQ stage, must secure supervised electrical work. Options: (a) partnering with qualified electrician willing to supervise installations while you build portfolio (challenging to arrange, requires relationship and mutual benefit), (b) accepting employment with electrical contractor even if temporary income reduction from self-employed earnings, (c) combining self-employed other-trade work with part-time electrical mate work if contractor accepts arrangement. 

Step 4: NVQ evidence must come from supervised electrical installations, not self-employed work in other trade. Cannot substitute carpentry or plumbing work for electrical portfolio requirements even if related (installing back boxes, running cables for own plumbing work, etc.). 

Risk notes: Self-employment income dependency often prevents schedule flexibility needed for both evening courses and subsequent mate employment at lower wages. Extended qualification timeline (potentially 5+ years due to interrupted study and delayed workplace access) tests financial viability. Difficulty finding qualified electrician willing to supervise portfolio development without formal employment relationship. Some self-employed tradespeople discover electrical retraining incompatible with self-employment maintenance and abandon pathway or pause indefinitely. 

Scenario 5: Parent or Carer with Limited Weekday Availability 

Current situation: Primary childcare responsibilities during daytime hours. Available evenings after childcare duties (approximately 7pm onwards) or weekends when partner/family can provide childcare coverage. 

Best-fit approach: 

Step 1: Level 2 and Level 3 diplomas via evening or weekend courses at local FE college. Verify course timing compatible with childcare arrangements (courses typically 6pm to 9pm, may conflict with young children’s bedtime routines, school-age children potentially more manageable). 

Step 2: For workplace access stage (mate employment for NVQ evidence), challenge becomes daytime site work conflicting with childcare responsibilities. Potential solutions: (a) childcare arrangements enabling daytime mate work (expensive, may negate mate wages financially), (b) seeking part-time mate work if available (rare, most contractors need full-time availability), (c) delaying NVQ stage until children school-age enabling daytime work, (d) partner providing childcare during mate employment years accepting reduced household income temporarily. 

Step 3: AM2 assessment presents specific challenge: 2.5 consecutive days weekdays requiring childcare coverage. Must plan and budget for childcare costs during assessment period plus travel/accommodation if required. 

Risk notes: Childcare costs potentially exceed mate wages in early years, making career change economically unviable until children older. Employers hiring mates expect full-time availability and may not accommodate part-time or school-hours-only requests. Extended qualification timeline (potentially 6+ years if delaying workplace access stage until childcare demands reduce) risks qualification currency and commitment sustainability. Some parents discover electrical retraining practical only when children reach secondary school age (11+) enabling more flexibility.