What does the ladder look like?
Nobody starts as a foreman. You qualify as an electrician, then pick up the JIB Approved Electrician grade after two years' experience and an inspection and testing qualification. The JIB's duties for that grade already say an Approved Electrician should take responsibility for finishing jobs properly and supervise other operatives if required. That is the usual first step: chargehand, running a small gang or one area of a site.
From there you become supervisor or foreman over the whole electrical package on a site, then electrical site manager or contracts manager. Every company names these jobs differently. The real sign that you have moved up is that you are answerable for other people's work and safety, not only your own.
Where does the JIB fit in?
The JIB grade linked to supervision is Site Technician. To apply you must meet the Approved Electrician requirements and have five years working at that grade. You also need a higher technical qualification, such as the City & Guilds C course, an HNC with an electrical installation bias, or a recognised BS 7671 design and verification course. On top of that you need at least three years in a supervisory role in charge of installations complex enough to call for wide technical experience and organising ability.
Under the JIB 2026 to 2028 agreement, the national standard rate for a Technician is £22.70 an hour, against £20.08 for an Approved Electrician. Under the JIB working rules, an Approved Electrician who is in charge of work and supervises other operatives may be paid responsibility money on top of the graded rate.
SSSTS, SMSTS and the ECS Manager card
CITB's Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) is a two-day course for people who supervise now or are about to. It covers health and safety law, risk assessments, method statements, permits to work and leading safe behaviour on site. There are no formal entry requirements. You can do it in a classroom or remotely, and the certificate lasts five years. The one-day SSSTS-R refresher renews it. CITB's National Construction College lists the course at £350.
The Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is five days and covers planning, monitoring and controlling safety, including the CDM Regulations 2015. CITB recommends doing SSSTS first if you have no health and safety management experience. For the black ECS Manager card, you need to meet gold card requirements or hold a Level 4 management qualification. You also need a Level 4 health and safety qualification, and SSSTS and SMSTS both count.
What changes in the job?
You spend less time on the tools and more on the phone, at a laptop or in meetings. You set out work from drawings, order materials, plan labour and keep the gang moving. You also deal with the main contractor and the other trades. You check and sign off work done by other people, keep RAMS and permits current and make sure inductions happen.
The hard part is people. You will have to correct electricians you used to work beside, handle lateness and tell the boss when a programme is slipping. Some people find the step up suits them. Others go back on the tools because they miss the work itself. Run a small job before you commit.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, from ONS ASHE April 2026 (provisional) data for supervision and site management, moved to the current year with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled. The JIB rows are the official 2026 national standard rates (job employed, transport provided) multiplied by 37.5 hours and 52 weeks, before overtime or responsibility money. Refer to the Supervision & Site Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Qualified electricianYou need full electrician status, with a Level 3 qualification and the AM2 behind you, before anyone will put you in charge of a team.
- Approved Electrician gradeYou need two years as an electrician after training plus an inspection and testing qualification such as C&G 2391-52. The JIB grade itself includes supervising others when required.
- CITB SSSTSA two-day supervisor safety course with no formal entry requirements, valid five years. Many main contractors expect it before you run a gang.
- CITB SMSTSA five-day course for site managers, valid five years. Renew it with the SMSTS-R refresher before it expires.
- JIB Site Technician (optional)You need five years as an Approved Electrician, a higher qualification such as an HNC, and three years in a supervisory capacity.
- ECS Manager cardYou need gold card requirements or a Level 4 management qualification, plus a Level 4 health and safety qualification such as SSSTS or SMSTS. You may also need the ECS HS&E assessment.
How to get there
- Years 1 to 4Qualify as an electricianFinish your apprenticeship or adult route, pass the AM2 and get your gold card.
- Years 5 to 6Gain the Approved Electrician gradeWork two years as an electrician, pass an inspection and testing qualification and apply for regrading.
- Years 6 to 8Chargehand on small jobsRun a small gang or one area. Take SSSTS around this point. Responsibility money may apply.
- Years 8 to 10Supervisor or foremanTake charge of the electrical package on a site. Consider an HNC or a BS 7671 design and verification course.
- Year 10 onwardsSite Technician gradeAfter three years supervising and five as an Approved Electrician, with a higher qualification, apply to the JIB.
- Year 10 onwardsSite or contracts managerTake SMSTS and apply for the ECS Manager card once you are running whole projects.
Open now on ElectricalRoles.co.uk
Questions people ask
Do I need SSSTS to be an electrical supervisor?
No law says you must hold it, but CITB designed it for people who have or are about to have supervisory duties, and many sites ask for it. It takes two days, has no formal entry requirements and lasts five years.
What is the difference between SSSTS and SMSTS?
SSSTS is a two-day course for supervisors. SMSTS is a five-day course for site managers covering planning, monitoring and controlling safety, including the CDM Regulations 2015. CITB recommends SSSTS first if you have no health and safety management experience.
Do supervisors get paid more under the JIB?
Yes. An Approved Electrician in charge of work and supervising other operatives may get responsibility money on top of the graded rate. The Technician grade pays £22.70 an hour from January 2026, against £20.08 for an Approved Electrician.
Which ECS card does a supervisor or manager hold?
Most supervisors keep their gold card at Approved Electrician or Technician grade. The black ECS Manager card covers roles such as electrical site manager and contracts manager. It needs a technical route plus a Level 4 health and safety qualification such as SSSTS or SMSTS.
How long does it take to become a foreman?
Most people need a few years as a qualified electrician first. The Approved Electrician grade alone needs two years after training. The JIB Site Technician grade needs five years as an Approved Electrician, including three in a supervisory role.
Sources
- CITB: Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS)
- CITB: Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS)
- CITB National Construction College: SSSTS course
- JIB Handbook 2024, Section 4: Grading Definitions
- JIB Handbook 2024, Section 2: National Working Rules
- ECS: Manager card requirements
- JIB Industrial Determination 2026-2028
