The UK switches on to electrical studies

Skills experts today named the UK a hot-bed of electrical know-how as they revealed the high numbers of learners gaining electrical qualifications.

As awarding body City & Guilds released a new study tracking the uptake of its most popular vocational qualifications in the UK over the last 10 years, the electrical industry was singled out for its ever-growing appetite for learning.

According to the research, the sector’s ability to attract new students was clearly demonstrated as 12% of City & Guilds awards gained last year were in electrical studies – higher than any other trade. Based on the organisation’s top 20 awards, the sector saw over 85 000 qualifications awarded in 2006-07.

The research revealed a number of pioneering cities across the country that have seen the light and really developed a taste for electrical learning:

• Sheffield is the electrical capital of the UK - almost 6000 electrical qualifications were completed in the last year alone, some 17% of the total.

• In 2006-07, like Sheffield, Leeds flew the electrical flag for Yorkshire, attracting 16% of learners into the industry.

• Nottingham also saw 15% of learners gaining electrical qualifications in the city.

Commenting on the research findings, Keith Brooker, acting director general of City & Guilds, said: “I’d like to applaud the efforts of the electrical trade in attracting new learners - it’s exciting to discover so many people catching the learning bug. Sheffield is definitely leading the way, but with cities like Leeds and Nottingham close behind, it is clear to see that the light is on and burning brightly for the future of the electrical industry. We could witness the rise of these cities as specialist beacons of electrical learning in future years – an intriguing prospect that we will continue to monitor.”