If you are looking to become an electrician next year, there are a number of electrical courses qualification changes to be aware of.

The City & Guilds 2357 Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment is an alternative qualification route that trainees can now take in order to enter the electrical industry.

This qualification was introduced in 2011 and is expected to eventually replace the City & Guilds 2330 although both courses are available alongside each other as the industry modernises its learning structure.

The City & Guilds 2357 is similar to its predecessor but effectively encompasses sophisticated learning techniques which are more relevant to the increasingly advanced electrical industry.

Although this new qualification is more advanced, the core knowledge required, such as the science, calculations and methodology, to become an electrician has remained the same.

The main changes that trainees should be aware of include an incorporation of renewable technologies, like solar photovoltaic, into the studying which demonstrates the direction that the electrical industry is taking.

How trainees are assessed through exams and live assessment has also modernised so anyone that has already studied on electrical courses in the past should recognise the changes that have taken place.