Who is an electrician?
An electrician is an artisan or a worker skilled in electrical installation or closely related field. Electrical installation is an electrical wiring process that deals with installation and repair of electricity systems and associated devices such as; electrical cables, sockets, switches, lighting and distribution boards among others.

Electricians installs, repairs inspects and maintains electrical installations among other tasks associated with electrical works. These artisans installs and repairs electrical systems in all types of buildings such as; commercial, residential, industrial, agricultural, hospitals, and educational among others.

Other closely related title(s)

1. Electrical artisan
2. Electrical installer
3. Wireman
4. Electrical & electronics repairman
5. Service and repair technicians

What is the work environment?
Electricians work both indoors and outdoors in homes, factories, businesses and construction sites among other environments.

Some important skills to have
To work effectively, electricians need to have some important skills and qualities such as;

1. Color vision
2. Communication skills
3. Physical strength/ stamina
4. Problem solving skills
5. Interpersonal skills
6. Troubleshooting skills
7. Among others

What are some career opportunities?
Electricians can find work in various places such as; construction companies, building maintenance contractors, electrical contractors/wiring installation contractors, manufacturing companies, building construction hardware’s, businesses and government departments among other areas.

Electricians can also use their creativity and start their own gainful ventures (self-employment).

Becoming an electrician

Admission requirements
To pursue a career as an electrician right from high school, a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), mean grade E is required.

Training & Study options
With a KCSE mean grade E, you can proceed to a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college and enroll for an appropriate artisan course. Artisan courses are also offered within Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) within your region.

So what course(s) can you pursue in TVET colleges?

1. Artisan in electrical installation
2. Artisan in electrical engineering
3. Artisan in electrical and electronics
4. Artisan in electrical and electronics technology
5. Trade test in electrical wireman
6. NVCET in electrical installation
7. NVCET in electrical and electronics technology
8. Or other similar/ related courses

Education Progression
After a successful completion of an artisan course, you can advance your education upward (in a relevant field) up to university level if that’s your goal. How is this possible?

1. Get an artisan certificate
2. Advance to craft certificate, (in a relevant field)
3. Advance to diploma certificate, (in a relevant field)
4. Advance to degree certificate, (in a relevant field)

How to Join TVET College.
There are two ways you can follow to join training institution(s) in pursuit of your career of choice. The majority way is applying through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps). This is a state owned agency that admits/ places government sponsored students to TVET colleges and universities. One of the advantages of applying through Kuccps is that, upon successful placement, you will pay subsidized fee as a government sponsored student.

To be placed through Kuccps you must have attained a certain pass mark required for various education levelssuch as degrees, diplomas, certificates and artisan courses. For an artisan course, you need a KCSE mean grade E. For more details on placement criteria, visit Kuccps website. The second approach is applying directly to training institution of your choice. Students who opt to apply this way do not get government fee subsidy and are therefore self-sponsored.

How to fund your post-secondary education.
If you are a needy student, upon application, you can get education loan from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a state owned institution that gives education loans to students joining technical colleges and universities. You can also access education bursaries from your local Member of Parliament (MP) or the County Government among other sources.

Always remember this!
Information provided on this website is for career awareness only, and not for any other purpose.

We know career life will take a significant part of your life journey, and your career choice will greatly influence how that journey unfolds. Therefore, before you make any career choice, before you commit yourself to any career or study option, be sure of what you are doing. It is advisable to seek professional advice from career advisors to navigate this very important process.

Need more information? We can provide you with additional career and education related information to meet your individual needs.