How to become an electrical engineer
Official title: Electrical engineers
Also called: Engineer, Area engineer, Chief engineer, Field engineer, First engineer, Laser engineer, Power engineer, Shift engineer, Branch engineer, Charge engineer, Design engineer, Second engineer
Electrical engineers undertake research and design, direct construction and manage the operation and maintenance of electrical equipment, power stations, building control systems and other electrical products and systems.
Main tasks
- Conceives and develops engineering designs from product ideas in electrical engineering
- Supervises, controls and monitors the operation of electrical generation, transmission and distribution systems
- Determines and specifies manufacturing methods of electrical systems
- Ensures that manufacture, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and contractual arrangements
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor the performance and safety of electrical assemblies and systems
How to become one
Electrical engineers usually possess an accredited university degree or equivalent qualification. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Electrical power networks engineer (level 4). England. Typically 30 months. Skills England standard ST0475.
- Apprenticeship (England): Electrical power protection and plant commissioning engineer (level 4). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0157.
- Apprenticeship (England): Rail and rail systems principal engineer (integrated degree) (level 7). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0497.
- Apprenticeship (England): Rail and rail systems senior engineer (integrated degree) (level 6). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0496.
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 25 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £60,303 a year The middle half earn £43,003 to £73,899.
- About 34,400 people work in this job now, and about 38,200 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)
Related jobs
- Civil engineers
- Mechanical engineers (professional)
- Electronics engineers (professional)
- Production and process engineers
- Aerospace engineers
- Engineering project managers and project engineers
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Questions people ask
How do I become an electrical engineer?
Electrical engineers usually possess an accredited university degree or equivalent qualification. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship leading to an NVQ/SVQ at level 4. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
How much does an electrical engineer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £60,303 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £43,003 to £73,899.
Is an electrical engineer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 34,400 to about 38,200 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an electrical engineer?
Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Electrical power networks engineer (level 4).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.