Part-Time Electrician Course: How to Train Around Your Job (2026)

Yes. While the fastest route to becoming a qualified electrician is full-time intensive training, many career changers cannot simply walk away from their current income. If you have a mortgage, a family, or financial commitments that make full-time study impractical, you can absolutely train as an electrician while continuing to work.

The key thing to understand is how electrical training is actually structured. Courses are not like a university degree where you attend lectures every day for three years. Instead, they run in scheduled blocks of consecutive days — typically lasting between a few days and several weeks depending on the qualification. Between these blocks, you return to your normal life and work. This modular structure is what makes part-time training possible.

Some shorter qualifications like the 18th Edition and the 2391 Inspection & Testing can be completed in as little as one week. The diploma qualifications take longer, but even these are completed in defined blocks rather than continuous daily attendance.

Electrical training follows a modular structure that suits people who need to fit qualification around existing commitments. Here is how the key courses break down:

Level 2 Diploma in Electrical Installations (2365)

The Level 2 Diploma uses a hybrid delivery model combining online theory with practical workshop sessions. The practical blocks can be spread over several weeks with gaps between them, allowing you to plan around your work schedule. There are no formal entry requirements, making it the ideal starting point for career changers.

Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (2365)

Level 3 follows a similar modular approach to Level 2, building on the foundations with more advanced theory and practical work. You can take a break between completing Level 2 and starting Level 3 if you need time to arrange leave from work or build up savings.

18th Edition Wiring Regulations (2382)

This is a short, intensive course that typically takes just 2 days. It can easily be completed during a single week of annual leave. The 18th Edition is the UK wiring standard that every practising electrician must hold.

Inspection & Testing (2391)

The 2391-52 qualification typically takes 5 days of classroom and practical training. Like the 18th Edition, this can be completed during a week or two of leave from your current job.

NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Installation (2357)

The NVQ is entirely workplace-based. It is not a taught course — instead, an assessor visits you on site to observe your electrical work and review evidence. This means the NVQ is done alongside employment as a trainee or employed electrician. It typically takes 6 to 12 months and does not require any classroom attendance at all.

Here is what a realistic part-time timeline looks like from complete beginner to fully qualified electrician:

Year 1: Foundation Training

• ✓Complete the Level 2 Diploma — attend practical blocks using annual leave or arranged time off
• ✓Study theory online between practical sessions, in evenings and weekends
• ✓Begin the Level 3 Diploma once Level 2 is complete

Year 1-2: Advanced Qualifications

• ✓Complete the Level 3 Diploma practical blocks
• ✓Add the 18th Edition (2382) — just 2 days
• ✓Add Inspection & Testing (2391) — approximately 5 days
• ✓Start looking for electrical work (employed or self-employed)

Year 2: Workplace Competence

• ✓Begin the NVQ Level 3 while working as a trainee electrician — this IS your job now
• ✓Gather evidence of real electrical work over 6-12 months
• ✓Complete the AM2 practical assessment (2 days)
• ✓Apply for your JIB ECS Gold Card

Total timeline: 18 to 30 months depending on how much flexibility you have with your current employer and how quickly you can arrange time off for each course block. Compare this to 3-4 years for a traditional apprenticeship — part-time diploma training is still significantly faster.

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Level 2 & 3 Package

The most popular choice for career changers — Level 2 and Level 3 together in one package.

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Successfully balancing electrical training with a current job requires planning. Here are the strategies that work for most career changers:

Use Annual Leave Strategically

Most UK workers get 28 days of annual leave (including bank holidays). If you save the majority of your leave for course blocks, you can attend several weeks of practical training in a year without affecting your regular work schedule. Planning your training calendar at the start of the year lets you book leave early before popular dates fill up.

Negotiate With Your Employer

Some employers will support retraining, especially if you work in a related industry (construction, plumbing, gas engineering, facilities management). Options include unpaid leave, compressed hours, or flexible working arrangements during training periods. Be upfront about your plans — many employers respect the ambition.

Start Small to Test Your Commitment

Before committing to the full diploma pathway, consider starting with a shorter course like the 18th Edition. It takes just 2 days, gives you a real City & Guilds qualification, and lets you experience electrical training without a major time or financial commitment. If you enjoy it and do well, you know the full pathway is right for you.

Use Evenings and Weekends for Theory

While practical workshop sessions require daytime attendance at a training centre, theory study can be done in your own time. Online learning materials, textbooks, and practice questions can all be worked through in evenings and weekends. This means your actual time away from work is focused on the hands-on sessions where you genuinely need to be in the workshop.

Plan Your Finances

One of the biggest advantages of part-time training is that you keep your income throughout. However, you should still plan for course fees and the potential cost of unpaid leave days. Spreading courses over a longer period also means you can pay for each stage as you go, rather than funding the entire pathway upfront. Many training providers offer payment plans to help further.

If you want to start your electrical training journey without a major time commitment, these qualifications can be completed during a single week of annual leave:

18th Edition Wiring Regulations (2382)

The 18th Edition course takes 2 days and covers BS 7671, the UK standard for electrical installations. It is a mandatory qualification for all practising electricians and is often the first course people take when exploring a career change. Completing it gives you a nationally recognised City & Guilds certificate and a genuine feel for electrical study.

Inspection & Testing (2391)

The 2391-52 qualification covers initial verification of new installations and periodic inspection and testing of existing ones. At around 5 days, it can also fit into a week of leave. This is an essential qualification for anyone who wants to sign off their own work or join a competent person scheme.

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Inspection & Testing (2391)

Essential for signing off your own work — complete in around a week.

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Training part-time has one major financial advantage over full-time intensive training: you keep your income. This changes the economics of retraining significantly.

Keep Earning While You Learn

Full-time intensive training is faster, but it means giving up your salary for the duration. If you earn £30,000 a year and take 6 months off to train full-time, that is £15,000 of lost income on top of course fees. Part-time training eliminates this cost because you continue working between course blocks.

Spread the Cost Over Time

Instead of paying for all your courses upfront, you can take them one at a time and pay as you go. Complete the Level 2 Diploma, save for a few months, then book the Level 3. This makes the total cost much more manageable without needing a lump sum or significant savings.

The NVQ Stage: You Are Already Earning

By the time you reach the NVQ Level 3 stage, you will be working as a trainee or employed electrician. The NVQ is assessed in your workplace — you are earning a wage while completing this final qualification. At this point, training is no longer costing you time away from work because the work itself is the training.

Compare the Routes

• ✓Full-time intensive: faster (12-18 months) but requires financial runway — savings or a partner who can cover bills
• ✓Part-time flexible: slower (18-30 months) but you keep your income throughout and pay as you go
• ✓Apprenticeship: free training and you earn a wage, but takes 3-4 years and pay is low initially

For most career changers with financial commitments, the part-time approach is the most practical. The end qualification is identical regardless of how long you take to complete it.

If you are ready to begin training as an electrician while keeping your current job, here is a practical action plan:

• ✓Step 1: Read the full how to become an electrician guide to understand the complete qualification pathway
• ✓Step 2: Consider starting with the 18th Edition during a week of annual leave to test your commitment
• ✓Step 3: Check available dates on the Level 2 Diploma — online + practical course page and plan your leave around the practical training blocks
• ✓Step 4: Look at the Level 2 & 3 Package for a single combined enrolment if you are committed to the full pathway
• ✓Step 5: Talk to your employer about flexible working or leave arrangements for training blocks

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Level 2 & 3 Package

Level 2 and Level 3 together in one package — the most popular option for career changers training around work.

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