Your First Step to Becoming a Qualified Electrician
The City & Guilds 2365 Level 2 Diploma in Electrical Installations is the UK's most recognised entry-level electrical qualification. Whether you're changing careers, retraining, or already working in the industry without formal qualifications, this course gives you the theoretical foundation and practical skills to begin your journey as a qualified electrician.
Who Is This Course For?
Career changers — No prior electrical experience required. Many of our learners come from completely different industries and successfully qualify.
Industry workers without formal qualifications — If you're already working in electrical or construction but lack recognised credentials, this course formalises your knowledge and opens the door to ECS card eligibility.
Employers upskilling their workforce — We work with companies across the UK who book this course for their employees. In-centre practical days can be scheduled flexibly around your business needs, on weekdays or weekends.
Those seeking EWA eligibility — Completing Level 2 is a prerequisite for the Experienced Worker Assessment (EWA) route, which may suit experienced workers who can demonstrate competence.
How the Course Works
This is a hybrid course combining flexible online theory with hands-on practical training at our Nottingham centre. Study the theory units at your own pace through our online learning platform — available 24/7 on desktop, or via our mobile app for iOS and Android, with no live sessions to attend. When you're ready, book your in-centre practical days at times that suit you.
In-Centre Training & Assessments
You'll need approximately 5 to 7 days at our training centre, depending on your existing practical skills. These sessions cover hands-on practical training — wiring, testing, and fault finding — as well as your practical and written assessments. We offer unlimited training days, so you can attend as many sessions as you need until you feel fully confident, at no additional cost.
In-centre days are available on both weekdays and weekends, giving you complete flexibility to fit training around work or other commitments. For employers booking multiple employees, we can arrange group sessions on dates that work for your team.
The course includes four multiple-choice exams which are normally taken at the centre. If you prefer, these can also be sat remotely with online invigilation for a small additional fee.
What You'll Learn
The course covers five core units: electrical science fundamentals, health and safety in electrical installations, wiring systems and enclosures, installing cables and circuits, and understanding the BS 7671 Wiring Regulations. You'll gain both the theoretical knowledge and practical competence that employers and industry bodies require.
JIB ECS Card Support
As a recognised JIB training provider, we help you apply for your JIB Trainee Electrician ECS Card from the point of enrolment — essential for working on construction sites and demonstrating your credentials to employers.
Your Career Pathway
After completing Level 2, progress to the City & Guilds 2365 Level 3 Diploma to continue your training. From there, the NVQ Level 3 (2357) and AM2 assessment lead to your JIB Installation Electrician Gold Card. We offer a Level 2 & 3 package deal with a discount for those committing to the full pathway.
Flexible Payment Options
We offer interest-free payment plans with no credit checks required. Pay a deposit to secure your place, then spread the remaining cost over manageable monthly instalments. We also offer a discount for paying in full upfront.
The City & Guilds 2365-02 Level 2 Diploma in Electrical Installations (Buildings and Structures) is a Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 2 qualification regulated by Ofqual (number 600/5498/0). It is the standard entry-level qualification for aspiring electricians in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, and the first of three qualifications required for the JIB Installation Electrician Gold Card.
No prior electrical experience is needed — the 2365 Level 2 is designed for career changers, school leavers, and anyone entering the electrical trade.
Who Is This Course For?
Most of our Level 2 students are adults in their 20s to 50s making a career change — people leaving office jobs, retail, the military, or other trades who want to retrain as electricians. You do not need GCSEs, A-levels, or any prior electrical knowledge. The course starts from the fundamentals: voltage, current, and resistance, how circuits work across domestic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural installations, and how to safely install wiring systems. If you already have trade experience and want to formalise your knowledge for the Gold Card pathway, most experienced workers complete the Level 2 in under three months. Our Level 2 uses a hybrid delivery model — you study the theory online at your own pace, then attend practical workshops at our Nottingham training centre to wire real circuits in fully equipped training bays. This is more flexible than full-time classroom courses and more hands-on than purely online providers.
Home Study + Online E-Learning
The theory of our Level 2 2365 Diploma is delivered 100% online as a home study e-learning course. You can complete every unit — Unit 201 (Health & Safety), Unit 202 (Principles of Electrical Science), Unit 203 (Electrical Installations Technology), Unit 210 (Communication) and the written assessments for Unit 204 — from anywhere in the UK, at your own pace. The online learning platform runs on any browser and has iOS and Android apps, so you can study at home, during lunch breaks, or on the move. Expect to put in around 8 hours of self-study per week. Tutor support is available by email and phone whenever you get stuck — you are never learning in isolation.
This home study electrical course route suits career changers studying around a full-time job, electrician’s mates and improvers who want a recognised Level 2 qualification on paper, parents who need to fit study around family life, and learners in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or anywhere far from a local college. Because the theory is fully online, you are not tied to a training centre postcode — you only travel to Nottingham for the practical days on Unit 204 (Installation of Wiring Systems and Enclosures), which you book individually as you are ready — or combine 2–3 at a time into a short block where your schedule and the available dates line up. Most learners attend 5 to 7 practical days in total across their enrolment, fitted around work and family rather than taken all in one go. Everything else — workbooks, video walkthroughs, unlimited mock exams, and tutor contact — happens from home. Nothing to wait for in the post: online platform access is granted at enrolment.
Fast-Track Level 2 for Experienced Workers
If you are already working in the electrical industry — as a mate, improver, apprentice who did not finish, or a tradesperson picking up electrical work — you do not need to sit a 1-to-2-year college course to get your formal Level 2. Our fast-track Level 2 electrical installation course is built to fit around existing work.
Most learners complete the full 2365 Level 2 Diploma in one of two timeframes: 2–3 months if you are flexible with attendance (mixing weekdays and weekends at our Nottingham centre) and can put around 8 hours a week into self-study, or 4–5 months if you can only attend on weekends. That compares to 1 to 2 years at a typical local college running evening classes one night a week. The difference is the online e-learning platform: instead of following a term timetable, you work through the units at your own pace and book practical days when you are ready for them.
The fast-track route suits electricians’ mates and improvers who want a Level 2 on paper to back up what they already do on site, adult learners who have done electrical work in a related trade, the military, or as serious DIY, and anyone serious about moving on to NVQ Level 3 and an ECS Gold Card without spending two years on the Level 2 step. If you already hold a Level 2 qualification and have 5+ years of documented electrical work experience, you may be able to skip the Level 3 Diploma and NVQ route entirely by taking the Experienced Worker Assessment (EWA) instead — read the guide for full eligibility (including the 2346-04 Entrance Test option if you do not hold a Level 2) and the 18-month completion window.
What This Qualification Unlocks
The Level 2 Diploma is the first step on the pathway to becoming a fully qualified electrician. It covers five units: health and safety in building services, electrical science principles, installation technology, practical wiring of circuits, and workplace communication. After completing the Level 2, you are eligible for a Trainee Electrician ECS card and can begin working on site under supervision. However, you cannot work independently or sign off your own installations — that requires completing the Level 3 Diploma, 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (2382), and ultimately the NVQ Level 3 with AM2 assessment for your Gold Card. Most students continue directly to Level 3 or take the Level 2 and 3 Diploma Package, which runs both qualifications back-to-back and includes a Wiring Regulations classroom session.
Career and Earning Potential
Electricians who complete the full qualification pathway (Level 2, Level 3, 18th Edition, NVQ, and AM2) typically earn £33,000 to £43,000 employed or £50,000 and above when self-employed. The Level 2 is where that journey starts. As a trainee working towards your Gold Card, starting rates are around £16 per hour (approximately £31,000 per year), and you gain the on-site experience needed for your NVQ while earning. Adding specialist qualifications in EV charging, solar PV, or inspection and testing increases your earning potential further — self-employed specialists regularly charge £300 to £500 per day.
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