Scotland must prioritise training for electricians to combat a growing skills shortage and achieve its net zero ambitions, according to Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT.

He warns that the shrinking talent pool and the need for businesses to diversify into renewable energy require urgent attention.

Wilson, speaking in a video for the UK-wide "Electrifying Our Future" campaign, highlighted that while apprenticeship applications remain strong, the number of qualified electricians is declining due to an ageing workforce and rising retirements.

"There's not a shortage of electrical apprentices – indeed for every apprenticeship, it's probably fair to say we have four or five applicants. However, the fact is that we do have a skills shortage of qualified electricians in Scotland, with the average age of an electrician now 34 and a number of people coming to the end of their career," Wilson said.

He emphasised the need to focus on fundamental electrical installation training and upskill workers in new technologies. "As fossil fuels run out, changes to government policy mean you can't install gas products or must change to an electric vehicle, but how are we going to actually maintain that? If we don't get the skilled workforce we need, how are we going to make sure there are enough people around to install these products?" he questioned.

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Wilson also pointed out the declining pool of potential recruits, noting a significant reduction in the available workforce and the persistent gender imbalance in the sector. "When I was born, you had 100,000 people potentially to recruit, but you're now looking at a pool of 50,000...and if we look at the elephant in the room, which is the gender problem in the sector where we're only recruiting 2% or 3% of women, that means predominantly businesses are now fishing in a pond of 25,000 compared to 50,000 or 60,000 just a few years ago," he explained.

Despite these challenges, Wilson stressed that now is an opportune time to join the electrical contracting industry. "Increasingly, everything is becoming dependent on electricity, whether it be our transport, heat, power or light. So from a career progression perspective, joining the electrical sector now and looking at what's going to happen in the next five, ten or 15 years, the sky's the limit for people joining this sector."

SELECT, a strategic partner in the ECA's "Electrifying Our Future" campaign, is advocating for increased support for businesses transitioning to renewable energy and enhanced training programs to address the skills gap. The campaign, which includes films and interviews, aims to highlight the electrical industry's critical role in achieving net zero.