The 2357 NVQ Is Changing: What's Replacing It & What It Means for You

If you have been researching how to qualify as an electrician, you may have come across references to the City & Guilds 2357 NVQ closing and a new qualification — 5357 — taking its place. This is a real, confirmed change affecting every route into the trade, not just apprenticeships.

This guide sets out exactly what is changing, why, the key dates, and — most importantly — what you should actually do if you are planning to train as an electrician in the next year or two.

The reform is led by TESP (The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership), the sector body that manages the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) — the single standard every competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT) and the JIB ECS Gold Card follow. There is no alternative specification and no separate lower-tier standard; every route into the trade is measured against the same EAS.

TESP's stated aim is a more consistent, portfolio-based competence standard applied the same way across every awarding body — City & Guilds, EAL, and others — rather than each body running its own version of the on-site competence qualification. The 2357 is a City & Guilds-specific product; 5357 and 5393-43 are built to the reformed specification.

For more on the wider qualification landscape this sits within, see our guides to TESP training routes and what qualifications you actually need.

• ✓31 October 2026 — final date to register on the current 2357 NVQ
• ✓31 December 2029 — final date for anyone already registered on the 2357 to be certificated

Two new Level 3 Electrotechnical qualifications take over from the 2357, covering different scopes of work:

5357-95 (and 5357-94 for apprentices) — the full installation route

5357-95 is for non-apprentices — adult learners, career changers, and experienced workers. 5357-94 is the equivalent route for apprentices registered through a formal apprenticeship programme. Both cover the full scope of installation work — domestic, commercial, and industrial — and lead to the same destination as the 2357 does today: the JIB ECS Gold Card. Read our dedicated 5357 guide for the full detail.

5393-43 — the domestic-only route

5393-43 (Electrotechnical in Dwellings) is a shorter, domestic-only qualification running to around 18 months, ending with the AM2D instead of the full AM2. It leads to a domestic-scope ECS card rather than the full Gold Card. See our 5393-43 domestic electrician guide for who it suits and how it compares.

The structural change that matters most is sequencing. Under the current 2357, most Total Skills learners on the fast-track route enrol on the NVQ once they are working on-site, building evidence alongside their Level 3 Diploma classroom work. Under the reformed 5357-95/5357-94/5393-43 routes, that overlap goes:

• ✓Step 1 — complete the Level 2 and Level 3 diplomas (classroom-based knowledge units) in full
• ✓Step 2 — move into a minimum two-year on-site competence portfolio, working and earning as an ECS Trainee electrician throughout
• ✓Step 3 — sit the AM2 (or AM2D for the domestic route) once your portfolio is signed off
• ✓Step 4 — apply for your ECS card (Gold Card, or domestic-scope card for 5393-43)

You are paid throughout the on-site period on both the old and new routes — this is not unpaid work experience. What changes is that you cannot start that on-site evidence-gathering until your classroom-based diplomas are finished, which is why the reformed route generally takes longer end-to-end for anyone who would otherwise have run the two stages in parallel.

The reform also widens which prior qualifications count towards the new standard. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) accepts equivalent Level 2 and Level 3 electrical qualifications from other awarding bodies — most notably EAL's 8202 diplomas — not just City & Guilds 2365. If you trained elsewhere and hold a recognised equivalent, you should not need to repeat that classroom learning before starting your on-site portfolio.

Confirm the specifics of what maps across with your training provider, since exact mappings between awarding bodies are set out in the detail of the specification rather than headline guidance.

If you are eligible and ready to start training, the practical answer is straightforward: the current 2357 route is still faster, because it lets you begin gathering on-site evidence while you finish your Level 3 Diploma, rather than waiting for both diplomas to be complete before you can start. Registration on the 2357 closes 31 October 2026.

If you are not yet in a position to start — for example, you have not yet begun your diplomas and will not be ready to register before the cut-off — you will move onto the new 5357-95, 5357-94, or 5393-43 route by default, and the sequential structure above is what to plan around.

Related Course

NVQ Level 3 (2357)

The current 2357 NVQ is still open to enrol until 31 October 2026 — view dates and pricing

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