The Electrician Shortage Nobody's Talking About | Britain's Labour Disaster
ToolBox Talk For Electricians
2,317 views
Why is it so difficult to find a good electrician, plumber, builder or carpenter in the UK today? ⚡
The UK construction industry is facing a serious skills shortage, with hundreds of thousands of additional tradespeople needed over the coming years. At the same time, experienced tradesmen are retiring faster than new apprentices are entering the industry.
In this podcast I discuss:
✅ The UK tradesman shortage explained
✅ Why electricians are in huge demand
✅ EV charger installations and renewable energy growth
✅ Solar panel installation demand
✅ Why apprenticeships are struggling
✅ Why fewer young people choose a trade career
✅ The university vs apprenticeship debate
✅ Rising construction costs and labour shortages
✅ Why tradesmen are becoming more expensive
✅ The future of electricians, plumbers and builders in the UK
We also look at:
⚡ Apprentice electrician training
⚡ Why colleges need to modernise training
⚡ EV charging, solar PV and future technologies
⚡ The reality of self-employment in the trades
⚡ Why skilled tradespeople are becoming increasingly valuable
Whether you're an electrician, apprentice, tradesman, business owner or homeowner trying to understand why it's becoming harder to find skilled labour, this podcast is for you.
📌 Subscribe for more electrician podcasts, trade business advice, electrical industry discussions and self-employed electrician content.
🎧 Listen to the Toolbox Talks for Electricians podcast for more ways to reduce stress, gain back time and earn more money.
Chapters & Timestamps
00:00 – The UK Needs 937,000 Construction Workers
01:00 – Why Electricians Are in Huge Demand
03:00 – The Apprenticeship Decline
06:00 – University vs Trades
10:00 – Why Young People Choose Other Careers
14:00 – The Housing Crisis & Labour Shortage
18:00 – Why Tradesmen Are Becoming More Expensive
23:00 – The Traditional Apprenticeship Model
29:00 – Why Modern Training Is Struggling
35:00 – College vs Real-World Experience
42:00 – EV Chargers, Solar & Future Technologies
48:00 – Why Good Tradesmen Can Charge More
54:00 – What Happens Next?
59:00 – Will Trades Become Respected Again?
#electrician
#tradesman
#apprenticeship
#constructionindustry
#skillsshortage
#electricianlife
#selfemployed
#constructionuk
#electricalindustry
#toolboxtalkforelectricians
The UK's construction sector is facing a huge shortage, with nearly a million workers needed by 2032. This demand significantly impacts the electrical trade, as numerous electricians are essential for the growing number of solar panels for home and ev charger installation projects. It's a critical time for those considering skilled trades, offering substantial career advice and opportunities in renewable energy.
#electrician #constructionjobs #skilledtrades #electricaltrade #careeradvice #solarenergy #evcharging
20 Comments
Everyone keeps saying there’s a shortage of electricians, which is true, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of people looking for mate or improver jobs. There are loads of people coming out of college who genuinely want to learn the trade. And it’s not always just about the money. A lot of people actually want to work with their hands and build a proper skill they can use for years.
The problem is what happens after they finish their course.
Some people have family or friends already in the trade and manage to get a job fairly quickly. Others can have all the qualifications and still be sitting at home a year later trying to get their foot in the door.
And qualifications aren’t everything. You have to know how to sell yourself and convince someone to take you into a business they’ve spent years building. They’re taking a risk when they bring in someone inexperienced, so you need to show them that you’re reliable, willing to learn and actually worth investing their time into.
Then there’s the whole “I’ve applied everywhere” thing. For some people, 10 applications in a week is a lot. For someone else, 100 applications is a lot. There’s a massive difference between applying to a few jobs online and actually calling contractors, speaking to agencies, asking people in the trade, following up and constantly looking for opportunities.
So yeah, there’s more to becoming an electrician than simply getting the qualifications. Qualifications get you started, but connections, experience, how you present yourself, persistence and sometimes just being in the right place at the right time all play a part.
I'm from the East Midlands and there are so many jobs for fully qualified but hardly any all year round that are suitable for people with no on-site experience, just out of college with a level 3, just trying to get into the trade.
Agencies don't want anything to do with you unless you have 3 references on site.
Quite a lot of improver/mate jobs want 3/5 years experciance what is crazy as why the hell would anyone still not have done an NVQ and AM2 with that many years working in the trade?
I've tried reaching out to local companies, checked Indeed, CV library. Most of the time, you'll hear nothing back or just get a generic response because they're not looking for people, which is fair enough.
Unless there are listings on job sites, it's a waste of time to train up. 80% of the training group who have their level 2/3 soon are still unable to find work, that's a 1/5 people who get into college get a job out of it.
Absolute crazy times, save your money, I say.
When anyone is allowed to work on a car
I applied for more 50 job nothing.
I have experience in domestic also in comercial.
EAS / TESP changes have a lot to answer for.
It's prohibitively expensive to be an electrician these days, and the tsunami of regulations, memberships, etc., make it more of a frustration than a vocation.
I'm one of the lucky chaps who's now working as an electrical technician for a massive company, which means I no longer have to participate in a system that's doing a fantastic job of shafting the very people it claims to represent.
The Electrician Shortage Nobody's Talking About | Britain's Labour Disaster
ToolBox Talk For Electricians
2,317 views
Why is it so difficult to find a good electrician, plumber, builder or carpenter in the UK today? ⚡
The UK construction industry is facing a serious skills shortage, with hundreds of thousands of additional tradespeople needed over the coming years. At the same time, experienced tradesmen are retiring faster than new apprentices are entering the industry.
In this podcast I discuss:
✅ The UK tradesman shortage explained
✅ Why electricians are in huge demand
✅ EV charger installations and renewable energy growth
✅ Solar panel installation demand
✅ Why apprenticeships are struggling
✅ Why fewer young people choose a trade career
✅ The university vs apprenticeship debate
✅ Rising construction costs and labour shortages
✅ Why tradesmen are becoming more expensive
✅ The future of electricians, plumbers and builders in the UK
We also look at:
⚡ Apprentice electrician training
⚡ Why colleges need to modernise training
⚡ EV charging, solar PV and future technologies
⚡ The reality of self-employment in the trades
⚡ Why skilled tradespeople are becoming increasingly valuable
Whether you're an electrician, apprentice, tradesman, business owner or homeowner trying to understand why it's becoming harder to find skilled labour, this podcast is for you.
📌 Subscribe for more electrician podcasts, trade business advice, electrical industry discussions and self-employed electrician content.
🎧 Listen to the Toolbox Talks for Electricians podcast for more ways to reduce stress, gain back time and earn more money.
Chapters & Timestamps
00:00 – The UK Needs 937,000 Construction Workers
01:00 – Why Electricians Are in Huge Demand
03:00 – The Apprenticeship Decline
06:00 – University vs Trades
10:00 – Why Young People Choose Other Careers
14:00 – The Housing Crisis & Labour Shortage
18:00 – Why Tradesmen Are Becoming More Expensive
23:00 – The Traditional Apprenticeship Model
29:00 – Why Modern Training Is Struggling
35:00 – College vs Real-World Experience
42:00 – EV Chargers, Solar & Future Technologies
48:00 – Why Good Tradesmen Can Charge More
54:00 – What Happens Next?
59:00 – Will Trades Become Respected Again?
#electrician
#tradesman
#apprenticeship
#constructionindustry
#skillsshortage
#electricianlife
#selfemployed
#constructionuk
#electricalindustry
#toolboxtalkforelectricians
The UK's construction sector is facing a huge shortage, with nearly a million workers needed by 2032. This demand significantly impacts the electrical trade, as numerous electricians are essential for the growing number of solar panels for home and ev charger installation projects. It's a critical time for those considering skilled trades, offering substantial career advice and opportunities in renewable energy.
#electrician #constructionjobs #skilledtrades #electricaltrade #careeradvice #solarenergy #evcharging