Future Proof Your Electrical Skills: What the Latest EAS Updates Mean for Every UK Electrician 

The Electrotechnical Assessment Specification got a major update in October 2024, and honestly, if you’re registered with NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or any other Competent Person Scheme, you need to know what’s coming. The thing about regulatory changes is that they creep up slowly, until suddenly you’ve got less than two years to sort your qualifications or risk losing your scope. Possibly your entire registration. 

The latest EAS revision brings in Mandatory Technical Competence requirements for low-carbon technologies and gives scheme operators the power to enforce these rules ahead of the October 2026 deadline. Which means some certification bodies might start demanding these qualifications from new applicants way earlier than you’d expect. 

Here’s what’s actually changed, what the deadlines mean, and the smartest routes to plug any gaps in your qualifications before October 2026 arrives. 

What Is the EAS Anyway? 

The Electrotechnical Assessment Specification sets out the minimum requirements for a business to be recognised by a certification body as competent to undertake electrotechnical work. Think of it as the rule book your scheme assessors use when they visit your business to check if you’re fit to sign work off as a Qualified Supervisor. 

It covers technical reference standards (BS 7671, EN 62606, etc.), your documented procedures (risk assessments, test-equipment calibration), and the mandatory qualifications for whichever categories you claim on your scope. Domestic installer. Periodic inspection. EV charging. Solar PV. The lot. 

Pass your assessment and you stay on the CPS register, which means you can issue certificates that satisfy Building Control. Fail, and you either lose scope (bye-bye EV installs) or drop off the register completely. 

The October 2024 Update: What Actually Changed 

Four New Low-Carbon Work Categories 

The EAS now includes four new work categories: EV charging equipment installation, solar PV systems installation, electrical energy storage systems (EESS) installation, and micro wind turbine installation. If you’re certifying any of these installations under your CPS registration, you need to hold the relevant qualifications by October 2026. 

The term “employed persons” here includes directly employed staff, subcontractors, temporary and agency workers, and self-e mployed individuals or sole traders undertaking electrotechnical work. So if you’re bringing in subcontractors to help with solar installs, they need the quals too. 

The EAS Qualifications Guide now lists the acceptable qualifications for each of these categories, with some achieving the “Electrician Plus” kitemark, which means they’ve been industry-approved for suitable entry requirements, content and assessment. 

Periodic Inspection & Testing Gets Stricter 

Qualified Supervisors and employed persons carrying out periodic inspection and testing under their certification must now hold a Level 3 award in Periodic Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installations, have a minimum two years’ evidence of relevant experience, and show evidence of ongoing CPD. 

If you don’t meet the standard yet, it’ll be recorded in your assessment report, but you’ve got until 1 October 2026 to get the relevant qualifications sorted. 

Voluntary Early Adoption (AKA The Catch) 

Here’s the bit that trips people up. The EAS committee allows Certification and Registration Bodies to turn the key early. NICEIC could decide to make the EV charging qualification mandatory for new applicants from, say, March 2026, months ahead of the official October deadline. If you renew annually in spring, you might need the ticket sooner than you think. 

No one’s broadcasting this loudly, but it’s worth checking with your scheme provider about their plans for early adoption. 

Experienced Worker Assessments Still Exist (But Got Harder) 

The Experienced Worker Assessment route stays open, which is good news if you’ve been doing this work for years without the paper to back it up. But the bar’s been raised. You now need five years of verifiable experience in the specialism, a portfolio of witnessed installations signed by your current Qualified Supervisor, and you’ll face an on-site skills assessment that matches the practical units in the new qualifications. 

The Domestic Electrician EWA became available in 2023 and is based on the same content as the Domestic Electrician apprenticeship standard, so both new entrants and existing workers are assessed and accredited to the same industry standard. 

Why the EAS Committee Is Tightening Up 

These changes follow recommendations made in the post-Grenfell review, which called for more consistency in competence standards across the built environment. The industry’s learning from what happened when standards weren’t enforced properly. 

Beyond that, there’s the usual suspects: insurance claims linked to poorly installed battery packs and EV chargers are climbing, homeowners need to trust that grid-tied kit won’t invalidate their house i nsurance, and UK rules need to mirror IEC and CENELEC standards to keep export potential alive. 

The maturity curve for renewables is now mirroring what Part P did for domestic wiring twenty years ago. Minimum paper proves minimum competence. Simple as that. 

Your Gap-Analysis Plan: What to Do Right Now 

Step 1: Download the EAS Qualifications Guide 

Head to the IET website or the Electrical Careers website and grab the latest version. Circle every specialism you advertise on your van, your website, or your business cards. EV charging? Solar PV? Battery storage? Micro-wind? Tick whether you already hold the required qualification for each one. 

If you’ve got gaps, you’ve got work to do. 

Step 2: Choose Your Route 

If you’ve got experience but no paper: The Experienced Worker Assessment uses your existing jobs as evidence. One assessor visit. But you’ll need that five-year proof, the portfolio, and you’ll be tested on-site. It’s not a shortcut, but it’s faster than starting from scratch. 

If you’ve got Level 3 but need the tech bolt-on: Five-day add-on courses for EV, PV or battery modules slot alongside your NVQ. These are designed to top up your existing qualifications without making you repeat stuff you already know. 

If you’re still at Level 2/3 diploma stage: Integrate the modules into your standard timetable now. It saves repetition, and some funding schemes will cover both your core quals and the renewables add-ons. 

At Elec Training Birmingham, the bolt-on courses weave into the mainstream electrical training calendar, so the hours count toward NVQ units. No extra site days lost. No duplication. 

Step 3: Book Early (Seriously) 

Green-skills funding pools close fast. Last year’s EV-skills cohort sold out eight weeks before the start date. If your certification body adopts the rules early and you’re stuck on a waiting list when renewal day arrives, you’re in trouble. 

Don’t leave it until summer 2026 and expect to walk onto a course in September. It won’t happen. 

Quick-Fire FAQ 

Q: If I only do domestic rewires, do these rules hit me? 
A: Only if you certify EV, PV, storage or micro-wind installations. Pure domestic wiring scope remains under 18th Edition and Part P criteria. You’re fine. 

Q: Will I need to redo 18th Edition if Amendment 4 lands in 2026? 
A: Unlikely. A CPD update should suffice for regulation changes. The new qualifications focus on technology-specific skills, not core regs. 

Q: My portfolio spelling’s rough. Will assessors penalise that? 
A: No. Clarity and safety trump commas. But missing test sheets or MCS forms will fail you. Get your paperwork in order. 

Q: What if I subcontract out EV or solar work? 
A: Your subcontractors, agency workers, and self-employed sole traders need the qualifications too if they’re working under your certification. You can’t dodge this by outsourcing. 

Your Action Timeline (So You Don’t Get Caught Out) 

• Now: Download the EAS Qualifications Guide. Map your gaps. 

• November 2025 to February 2026: Book your bolt-on course or EWA place. Don’t wait. 

• January to May 2026: Complete theory and practical. Gather your portfolio evidence. 

• June to September 2026: Sit your assessment. Gain your certificate. 

• October 2026: EAS deadline hits. You’re compliant. You’re calm. You’re carrying on as normal. 

Wait until August 2026 to start panicking and you’ll be scrambling for course places that don’t exist, begging assessors to fit you in, and sweating every time your scheme renewal letter lands. 

Regulation moves slowly until suddenly it doesn’t. The October 2024 EAS update has turned voluntary upskilling into a hard deadline for thousands of practising electricians across the UK. Treat the new qualifications as an investment, not a chore. They secure your scheme membership, unlock higher-margin renewables work, and prove to insurers, clients, and Building Control that you play at a professional level. 

Download the guide. Work out your gaps. Choose the right learning route. And get it sorted before October 2026 arrives and half the industry realises they’ve left it too late. 

Call us on 0330 822 5337. We’ll walk you through which qualifications you actually need based on your current scope, map out the fastest route to c ompliance, and get you booked onto courses that fit around your existing work schedule.  

Need more information on how to become an electrician? Check our full guide how to become an electrician.