What are the JIB grades?
The Joint Industry Board grades electricians on their gold ECS card so employers can see what level you work at. For installation and maintenance electricians there are three steps: Electrician, Approved Electrician and Technician. Your ECS occupation, such as Installation Electrician, shows what you are qualified in. Your JIB grade shows how much responsibility and technical training you have in that occupation.
The Electrician grade is the core level. You usually get it by finishing an apprenticeship with the Level 3 NVQ and passing the AM2. The Experienced Worker Qualification with the AM2E or the JIB Mature Candidate Assessment also gets you there. At this grade you install to BS 7671 and work under the National Working Rules.
What does Approved Electrician need on top of Electrician?
The JIB Handbook sets three conditions. You must fully meet the Electrician grade as an installation or maintenance electrician. You must have two years of experience in that work after finishing your training, running right up to the date you apply. You must show competence in inspection and testing by holding an accepted qualification.
Accepted qualifications include the City & Guilds 2391-52, or both the 2391-50 (initial verification) and 2391-51 (periodic inspection). The matching EAL and LCL Awards qualifications also count, as does the NET Advanced Assessment of Competence. Older 2391 certificates gained before September 2013 are still valid. Both halves are needed if you take the split route, because each covers only part of inspection and testing.
What changes in the job and the pay?
An Approved Electrician is expected to work alone without close supervision. That means setting out jobs from drawings, ordering materials, taking responsibility for finishing the work properly and running other operatives if asked. You also need a solid working knowledge of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations.
Under the JIB Industrial Determination, from 5 January 2026 the national standard rate for job-employed operatives with transport provided is £20.08 an hour for Approved Electrician and £18.38 for Electrician. Over a 37.5-hour week for 52 weeks, that £1.70 gap comes to about £3,315 a year. These rates only apply if you work for a JIB member firm.
How do you move up to Technician?
Technician is the top grade on this ladder. You must meet every Approved Electrician requirement, then work five years as an Approved Electrician before you apply. You also need a higher qualification: an HNC or other Level 4 building services certificate with an electrical bias, the City & Guilds C course, or a recognised BS 7671 design and verification course.
There are two types. Site Technician needs at least three years supervising electrical installations complex enough to need wide technical experience and good organisation. Installation Technician is for people whose employer backs them as having exceptional technical skill, well beyond what is expected of an Approved Electrician. From January 2026 the JIB Technician rate is £22.70 an hour.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. The JIB rows are official JIB Industrial Determination national standard rates (job employed, transport provided) from 5 January 2026, worked out as hourly rate x 37.5 hours x 52 weeks. The percentile rows are ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), brought up to date with a wage index. The regional figures are modelled. Overtime, travel and working outside JIB member firms all change what you take home. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Electrician gradeYou must fully meet the JIB Electrician grade as an installation or maintenance electrician, usually through Level 3 NVQ plus AM2, or an experienced worker route with AM2E.
- Two years' experienceYou need two years working as an installation or maintenance electrician after finishing training, running up to the date you apply.
- Inspection and testing qualificationThe C&G 2391-52, or both the 2391-50 and 2391-51, or the EAL or LCL equivalents, or the NET Advanced Assessment of Competence.
- Employer endorsementIf you work for a JIB member company, your employer must endorse your grading application. You do not need to work for a JIB member to apply.
- Certificate evidenceYou must send copies of the qualification certificates in the same discipline as the ECS occupation and grade you are applying for.
- Domestic route bridgingIf you qualified on a domestic electrician route, you must pass the Domestic Electrician bridging assessment first, then build up two years as an installation or maintenance electrician.
Across the UK
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland | The Joint Industry Board runs ECS cards and JIB grading. The grade requirements in the JIB Handbook apply. |
|---|---|
| Scotland | The Scottish Joint Industry Board handles ECS applications in Scotland. The JIB Handbook also accepts the SELECT Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installations award and the SQA SELECT customised inspection and testing award as proof of competence. |
How to get there
- Years 1-4Qualify as an electricianFinish your apprenticeship with the Level 3 NVQ and pass the AM2 to get the Electrician grade on a gold ECS card.
- Years 4-6Build two years' experienceWork as an installation or maintenance electrician. The two years must come after you finish training and run up to your application.
- Years 5-6Pass inspection and testingTake the C&G 2391-52 or an accepted equivalent. A JIB employer should pay for your first attempt once you meet the other conditions.
- Year 6Apply for Approved gradeSend your certificates through ECS. Get your employer to endorse the application if you work for a JIB member firm.
- Years 6-11Gain a Level 4 qualificationTake an HNC, the C&G C course, or a BS 7671 design and verification course, and build supervisory experience.
- Year 11 onwardApply for TechnicianOnce you have five years as an Approved Electrician, apply as a Site Technician (three years supervising) or as an Installation Technician.
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Questions people ask
Do I have to have been graded Electrician before applying for Approved?
No. The JIB Handbook says you do not need to have held the lower grade before. You do have to fully meet every requirement of the lower grade, including its qualifications and time limits.
Who pays for the inspection and testing course?
The JIB Handbook says the employer should cover your first attempt at the AAC, or at the inspection and testing training and exams. That applies once you meet all the other conditions for Approved Electrician. These are JIB terms, so they bind JIB member employers.
Is the 18th Edition enough for Approved Electrician?
No. The grade calls for an inspection and testing qualification such as the C&G 2391-52, or both the 2391-50 and 2391-51. The NET AAC and the EAL and LCL equivalents also count. The wiring regulations course on its own is not on the list.
Can I apply if I don't work for a JIB member firm?
Yes. Anyone who meets the requirements can apply. Self-employed electricians and people at non-member firms often take the grade to prove their status, for example to be approved for inspection and testing work. The JIB pay rates only bind member firms.
I qualified as a domestic electrician. Can I become Approved?
Not straight away. You first need to pass the Domestic Electrician bridging assessment to reach the full installation electrician standard. After that you need two years working as an installation or maintenance electrician before you can apply.
