How to become an electrical line installer
Official title: Electrical line installer (overhead)
Also called: Electric power cableman (overhead), Electric power lineman (overhead), Electric traction lineman, Overhead wireman (electric power), Overhead wireman (electric traction), Electric power cableman (overhead), Electric traction lineman, Overhead wireman (electric power)
Electrical line installer (overhead) constructs and repairs overhead high-tension or low-tension power lines conducting electricity between generating stations, substations and consumers. He/she climbs poles and pylons and fixes insulators, lightning arresters and other equipment. He/she also strings cables between pylons, poles and buildings, ensuring that proper sag is left in cables to avoid breakage under changing atmospheric conditions.
Main tasks
- Installing and repairing overhead and underground electrical power and electrical traction lines
- Making joints in overhead and underground cables
- Adhering to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas
- Opening switches or attaching grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs
- Climbing poles or using truck-mounted buckets to access equipment
- Identifying defective sectionalising devices, circuit breakers, fuses, voltage regulators, transformers, switches, relays, or wiring, using wiring diagrams and electrical-testing instruments
How to become one
Electrical line installers and repairers typically posses an electrical installation licence from the Energy Market Authority (EMA) or its equivalent.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Electrical Engineering. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
- Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Electrical Engineering. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Ngee Ann Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.
- Licence or registration: Electrical installation work must be done or supervised by an electrical worker licensed by the Energy Market Authority. The licence grade you can hold depends on your qualifications and experience. Law: Electricity Act 2001. Regulator: Energy Market Authority (EMA) (https://www.ema.gov.sg).
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Electric cable jointer
- Underground electrical line installer/repairer
- Electrician
- Electrical fitter
- Electrical lift/escalator and related equipment fitter
- Electrical household appliance repairer
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Questions people ask
How do I become an electrical line installer?
Electrical line installers and repairers typically posses an electrical installation licence from the Energy Market Authority (EMA) or its equivalent.
Will AI change the work of an electrical line installer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat): Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) 2024 (SSOC 2024 (definitions and index updated 2026-06-24)), Singapore Open Data Licence, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026