Low-carbon skills matter, but competence must come first

As the UK accelerates towards a low-carbon future, demand for skilled electrotechnical professionals has never been greater. Andrew Eldred, Managing Director of ECA, explains why delivering the energy transition safely requires a competent workforce, high-quality apprenticeships and recognised training pathways that equip electricians with the skills needed to install and maintain the systems powering a greener future.

The UK’s energy transition is reshaping homes, workplaces, transport and industry. From EV charge points and solar PV to battery storage, electric heating, smart buildings and automation, electrification is now central to cutting carbon, strengthening energy security and improving resilience.

For the electrotechnical sector, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility. ECA-commissioned research last year showed that electrical contractors are Britons’ most trusted experts on the technologies behind cleaner, more flexible energy systems. If the UK wants these systems to be safe and reliable, robust competence standards, high-quality apprenticeships and recognised upskilling routes are essential.

The skills challenge is not simply to create more training ‘products’, as some in Government seem to believe. It is to build a properly qualified workforce through apprenticeships for new entrants, credible, publicly funded alternative routes for experienced workers and adult career changers, and focused upskilling for qualified electricians. Government must also rebuild the financial case for employers to invest in new entrants, badly weakened by poorly thought-through rises in minimum wages and other employment costs.

Getting green skills right

That is why the debate around ‘green skills’ needs more precision. In a safety-critical sector, awareness-level training is not occupational competence. A short course in EV charging or solar PV is not the same as having the knowledge, skills, experience and judgement to design, install or maintain safely. Poor-quality work risks people, property and public confidence.

At ECA, we welcome Government’s focus on strengthening the workforce for the low-carbon transition. Demand is rising and employers need access to people with the right skills. But speed cannot come at the expense of safety or standards.

That is why new Apprenticeship Units for solar PV and EV charging must be approached carefully. Short courses can help employers meet priority skills needs. But in the electrotechnical sector, public funding should support routes recognised by industry and aligned with established competence frameworks.

For qualified electricians, credible upskilling routes already exist. Electrician Plus qualifications in EV charging, solar PV and battery storage build on existing occupational competence and are recognised under the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification and Mandatory Technical Competences. Government should make better use of what the sector has built. Apprenticeship Units, as currently designed, fail this test – risking confusion for employers, learners and providers, and weakening the link between training and competence.

Building a competent workforce

Apprenticeships must also remain central. ECA’s updated England Electrical Skills Index shows the scale of the challenge – while interest in electrical careers remains strong, fewer than one in five learners on Government-funded classroom-based electrical courses in England progressed into an apprenticeship in 2024/25. Independently, and as part of the wider EBSSA engineering and building services skills coalition, ECA continues to call for lower burdens on employers, better-funded apprenticeship provision, and stronger routes from classroom courses into apprenticeships and the adult NVQ equivalent.

The wider skills system should be judged by outcomes, not enrolments. Too often, success is measured by course starts, rather than whether people complete employment-based training and become qualified and competent. The UK does not simply need more certificates; it needs more qualified electricians who can deliver safe, compliant work.

Businesses also have a major role. Training should be seen as an investment in resilience, productivity and growth, and rewarded as such. Firms with a competent workforce will be better placed to win higher-quality work, protect their reputation and meet client demand. Larger clients and supply chains should be required to value competence and move away from a race to the bottom on price.

Delivering the energy transition safely

The safe energy transition will depend on more than skills alone. ECA’s Safe Energy Transition Charter calls for simpler regulation, electric-ready homes, stronger Government collaboration with electrical firms and industry bodies, and public funding that prioritises recognised routes into qualified electrician status. Government must also speed up grid upgrades, rebalance energy costs so clean electricity is not unfairly penalised, and ensure consistent competence standards across the UK.

The UK will become more electrified. The choice is whether that transition is planned, safe and trusted, or fragmented and reactive. Only by backing apprenticeships, funding recognised upskilling, listening to employers and embedding competence into delivery can Government and industry build the workforce needed for a safer, greener future.

eca.co.uk

This article appeared in Electrotechnical News July/August 2026 edition – read it here