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NAPIT and NICEIC Are Losing Electricians and Here's What They're Doing Wrong

ToolBox Talk For Electricians

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Are UK electrical governing bodies (NAPIT, NICEIC) actually worth it for working sparks? We dig into Part P, assessments, costs, contract requirements, building-control loopholes (EICR instead of notification), manufacturer influence on regs, data use/marketing, and why enforcement (vs Gas Safe) is so weak. We also share when registration is useful, alternatives for newbies, and what reforms would genuinely help electricians.

Jump in the comments: Are you registered? Will you renew? What should change?

00:00 Are schemes worth it? (NAPIT/NIC)
01:12 Why Part P came in & does it work?
03:07 The building-control EICR “loophole”
05:42 Gas Safe vs electrics: enforcement gap
07:11 Assessments, time cost & real benefit
08:07 When contracts actually require membership
09:01 Data use, promos & TrustMark concerns
11:22 Manufacturer influence on the regs?
13:09 Are schemes dictating how we run businesses?
14:08 Assessor competence horror stories
16:07 Rising costs, apprenticeships & barriers
18:19 Fewer sparks = higher prices?
20:07 Liability & being chased by schemes
22:47 Is membership worth it for domestic work?
24:19 NIC history & “non-profit” no more
34:58 Broken cert software & bounce-backs
36:45 Will Part P ever go away?
38:23 Starter strategy: delay joining, get sign-off
39:44 Paying a QS/mate vs joining
41:22 Edited certificates & fallout
43:24 Your turn: should we all quit?

#Electrician #NAPIT #NICEIC #PartP #UKSparks #ToolboxTalks #ElectricalPodcast

NAPIT vs NIC: Worth the Fees or Waste of Money?

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The Tool Box Talks for Electricians Podcast is for Electricians interested in growing their knowledge ,skills and ultimately your business.
Ben has worked in the electrical trade for over 20 years all over the world.
From the age of 19 and going through a full apprenticeship to become a fully qualified electrician where he was employed by a number of electrical company's.

Moving on to being self employed Ben soon started to build his own electrical business.

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*Money management
*Qualifications needed
*Insurance cover
*Finding customers
And many more.......
The Toolbox Talks For Electricians Podcast has been created to help other electricians avoid those mistakes and take your electrical business to the next level.

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NAPIT vs NIC: Worth the Fees or Waste of Money?

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20 Comments

@toolboxtalking Creator 10 months ago Pinned

Who are YOU registered with?

@Seracltd 10 months ago

Good video. For someone who has worked outside the UK, NAPIT and NICEIC, are not worth the paper their name is written on. They have 2 major conflicts of interest: First, they take money from those they assess and second, they engage in commercial partnerships. Piss off any of these funding sources, and you lose revenue.

Neither NAPIT and NICEIC are governing bodies, they are private. In countries like the US, Germany and Switzerland, the equivalent are the state licensing boards, who are funded by the taxpayer and have the power to enforce. In the US, there is no self certification (a building inspector must) and to become a Master electrician you must pass a rigorous exam that would make NVQs look like kindergarten.

The UK needs to up its standards, and have a national government body with enforcement powers and issue licenses, and create more rigorous exams....and maybe do away with self-certification. It would force people out of the industry (cowboys), but would raise salaries of those who are good. Part P needs to go.

The 7671 needs to be rewritten in a more coded format and incorporated into law. No more "far as is reasonably practicable." Either you wire it correctly or you do not. No more overlapping books that cost the same as a M12 battery.

@SME_Ste 10 months ago

From personal experience, whenever a property is sold etc, no one asks for the BC certificate or the Part P notification, but just want an Installation Cert

@steve11211 10 months ago

Im a fully qualified spark but dropped my NAPIT cover.. Tenant of mine wanted an EV charger, i had previously installed 10mm SWA to garage with a cat6 cable. I told tenant I could not do it cause I could not get building control. So tenant got an NICEIC approved electrician to do the work.. he used 32A RCBO when manufacturer specified 40A, he did not crimp terminals despite manufacturer specifying, he didnt seal hold through wall, he didnt use a compression gland on top of adaptable box compromising the IP rating when it was right next to a tap, he put the CT clamp on the garage consumer unit, he did not notify DNO and did not correctly setup the load balancing on the EV charger. I pointed all these out and he came back, he changed the 32A RCBO to a 40A RCBO but it was only single pole, he moved the CT clamp to the house but tenant complained it was buzzing so it appears he moved it onto the shower circuit, he did the other things but then I got a call when shower was on the consumer unit was buzzing, turned out the buzzing was because he had cut the CAT6 cable core one of the pairs he used when stripping it back. In the end I gave up and said well we have the building compliance certificate so now I can fix the faults, moved CT clamp to main tails, reterminated cat6 cable so EV could read the clamp meter, this stopped it buzzing and changed the RCBO to a 40A double pole...

When I contacted NICEIC to complain they were not interested because I had touched the install so it was no longer anything to do with the installer or NICEIC and they did not care.. What a complete joke, but also really useful to know I could just do the work and then issue an EICR..

@danielwood5334 10 months ago

Waste of time and money signing up to a CPS. I pay £36 for every notifiable job that needs certification logging with NIC. I’m an approved electrician but refuse to pay for some CPS to bring added expense and stress to my business . I don’t need to be assessed, I’ve been in the trade 27 years. I don’t want some nosey stranger looking through my business records and quizzing me on how to do my job. It’s the only trade where this happens it’s a joke. I’m more than capable of navigating the regs and finding the information required when needed and if i couldn’t find a particular reg there’s other ways to pin point the information . With AI so readily available what’s the point in CPS ?? Us sparks should be able to upload a certificate onto a portal once a job is complete and that’s it. No monthly fees, no sign up nor membership.

@aaronkellett3133 10 months ago

You two are my favourite right now in this industry breath of fresh air I pay for my own with napit and it’s an absolute rip off.

@petergriffin278 11 days ago

A national government register for qualified competent trades people would be way way better than the expensive and unnecessary NICEIC pr NAPIT

@shumble69 9 months ago (edited)

I’ve seen so many jobs carried out by electricians that don’t know the regs, this is why they need to to be part P compliant, after 45 years in the game and an NICEIC approved contractor for 26 years of them i cant count the number of non conformities and dangerous work I’ve seen carried by so called qualified sparks. As for NICEIC and NAPIT I would say the NIC still has more kudos than NAPIT, it is so easy to become NAPIT registered compared to the NIC, that said the bureaucracy and annual assessment process for the NIC is a joke, and the annual cost is a piss take , My advise to any young sparks would be get registered, shows a level of competencey and gives customers confidence in the contractors ability and also why pay to get your work tested. New Year’s Eve as I’m typing this so happy new year to everyone and wish all you guys a prosperous 2026.

@g.williamswilliams8442 2 weeks ago

I totally concur,.
45 years in, worked for the Electricity board for 11, fully time served, later NIC,.. then Nap it,...
It's all bollocks.... Don't get me Started on Part Poo...

The only answer is customer awareness and proper 4 year apprenticeships..

Amen 😂

( p.s. Great videos)

@Joey-Tools 10 months ago

Really interesting chat, I am working as an electricians mate and looking to build up my skills to eventually do my AM2 as I am an older chap. My goal is to obtain a gold card, not in a rush to join a competent person scheme for points you've listed. Thank you guys for the upload!

@gino2465 6 months ago

Hi guys great video specially after David saverys video..I am with napit and this will be my third year. But this year I have to buy at my expense a 3 phase distribution board with the nato connectors at a cost of £199 so I keep the bolt on to work on 3 phase. Yes I dont do a lot of 3 phase but I may do in the future. So my only option is to buy my self and fot to a freinds farm. So I can be checked by napit this year. So stressful and costly. But I suppose its for the greater good.

@electromuscle 2 months ago

I wish you people would stop calling NICEIC and NAPIT governing bodies. They are not governing bodies they are scheme providers.

@CMCElectricalEngineeringLtd 10 months ago

I reported a shite installation that a NICEIC contractor did, I was told that I’m the last competent person on site and it’s now my responsibility! Pointless 🤦🏻

@jj-rh4sc 4 months ago

part p is part of the building regs. wasn't bought out just to target electricians . The whole building industry was hit.
Key Building Regulation
PartsPart A (Structure): Ensures buildings are structurally sound.
Part B (Fire Safety): Covers escape routes, fire spread, and fire alarms.
Part C (Resistance to Contaminants/Moisture): Prevents damp and issues with ground water.
Part E (Resistance to Sound): Reduces noise transfer between dwellings.
Part G (Sanitation, Hot Water/Water Safety): Covers plumbing, bathrooms, and water efficiency.
Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power): Mandates energy efficiency for heating, insulation, and lighting.
Part M (Access to and Use of Buildings): Ensures accessibility for people with disabilities.
Part P (Electrical Safety): Covers safe design and installation of fixed electrical items in homes.Other Parts and Components
Part F (Ventilation): Air quality and ventilation standards.
Part H (Drainage and Waste Disposal): Sewerage and drainage systems.
Part J (Combustion Appliances): Safe installation of boilers, fires, and stoves.
Part K (Protection from Falling): Covers stairs, ladders, ramps, and guarding.
Part N (Glazing): Safety regarding glass in windows and doors.
Part Q (Security): Physical security for new dwellings.
Part R (High-Speed Electronic Communications): Broadband infrastructure

@aaronkellett3133 10 months ago

Ben can you talk about the legislation change for social housing and landlords regarding Eicrs

@christastic100 6 months ago (edited)

Iv been in the trade for 39 years and been NIC EIC registered for 28 years. The only reason I’m now still in is part P . I’m fed up with the constant corporate think that seeks to make life harder for us and that has zero affect on incompetent workers who produce dangerous poor quality workmanship .with regards to NAPIT contacting your customers I would suggest that is an illegal activity and a conflict of interests

@barryromford3792 7 months ago

Part p came in as nothing more than a stealth tax and paper trail of jobbing sparks.

@asmith7037 10 months ago

Id be happy to issue part Ps for £100 each 👍

@Timetochange76 9 months ago

I'm paying £702 this year to be registered with Napit. Is this the same for everyone?

@TonyShirley-ps1zx 10 months ago (edited)

Part P was introduced after the death of a women from dodgy kitchen fitter electrics. Kitchens are no longer under its scope. Madness. NICEIC couldn't care less about unregistered sparks. Use their logo without permission though and you're for the high jump!