Career pathways and opportunities for electricians

Following on from our previous article, interested in becoming an electrician? This article focuses on career pathways once you have qualified as an electrician.

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Congratulations! You are now an electrician, now what?! Well obviously, you can continue working in the same area, this is a great way to consolidate your learning and gain experience and perhaps allow you to move up in the company, this is exactly what Joe did. But did you know you have other options too? This week we are going to explore the various career pathways that having an electrical qualification opens up for you.

The electrical industry is a great one to be in, with so many possibilities and opportunities. It is a great trade if you want to travel, with qualifications gained in NZ being recognized in many different countries, allowing you to work abroad with a little extra training. If you do want to travel as an electrician, contacting the registration body in your destination country would be the best place to start.

There are three main sectors that most electricians work within; Domestic, commercial and industrial, and we are not going to discuss these today as most of you will have spent the majority of your apprenticeship if not all of it working in one of these areas. Instead, we are going to look at alternative options that having a background as an electrician will help you in.

Career Paths

• Project manager – this is a managerial role. You would be In charge of overseeing the running of projects, planning and budgeting (an electrical engineering degree would be a great advantage but not necessary) This work would be mostly off the tools in the office or onsite.

• Estimator – this is an office based role pricing and quoting jobs. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an electrician that does this role but obviously would be an advantage.

• Electrical Inspector (NZ and Aus): Once you have been a registered electrician for three or more years you are able to train as an electrical inspector. An electrical inspector tests and inspects work completed by registered electricians to ensure it conforms to current standards and is safe. Electrical inspectors can also work in high-risk areas and carry out EWOFs on caravans, motorhomes and re-locatable installations.

• Electrical engineer – Design and develop electrical products, systems and devices. This would require further training at degree level. Your electrical apprenticeship would help you to meet the entry requirements.

• Petrochemical industry – Working on oil rigs and refineries

• Marine Electrician- Install, repair and maintain electrical systems on boats

• Aviation Electrician – Install, repair and maintain electrical systems on planes

• Electrician in the forces – allowing you to work in varied settings and travel with the forces on deployment

• Linesman – install, repair and maintain overhead and underground power lines

• Transport services electrician – Joe was always interested in working on the London Underground.

And last but not least owning your own electrical business, where you are the project manager, estimator, electrician, electrical apprentice, bookkeeper, marketing manager and secretary! Hard, but fulfilling and worth it in the long run.

We hope you have found this useful. If you are not already a registered electrician then head along to read our previous blog post: Interested in becoming an electrician?

Follow these links to find out more:

https://www.defencecareers.mil.nz/army/

https://www.ewrb.govt.nz/becoming-an-electrical-worker/career-pathways/

https://skills.org.nz/careers-and-courses/trades/electrical/

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