What does the job involve day to day?
Skills England's ST0152 standard says a maintenance electrician looks after electrical and electronic installations, automated production lines included. The job covers watching over the equipment, servicing it and repairing it when it fails. In practice your week mixes scheduled checks on motors, switchgear, distribution boards, lighting and controls with call-outs when something trips or a line stops.
The Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician standard (ST0154) describes the work as servicing, replacing and repairing equipment under planned preventative and reactive maintenance programmes. Planned work follows a schedule set by the site. Reactive work means finding the cause of a fault quickly, making it safe and getting the plant back into service. Diagnosis is the skill that separates a good maintenance spark from an average one.
Where do maintenance electricians work, and what hours?
The standards point to factories, process plants and the larger infrastructure sites. ST0154 names electricity generation, oil and gas refining and pharmaceuticals, and expects technicians to move between sectors over a career. Food production, warehousing, hospitals, universities and facilities management contracts also hire maintenance electricians to look after buildings and plant.
The National Careers Service gives 37 to 45 hours a week for electricians and says on-call work comes up. Plant that runs around the clock needs cover around the clock, so many maintenance posts come with a shift rota, call-outs or both. Before you accept, ask what the rota is, how often you are on call and how overtime and call-outs are paid. Those terms change your take-home pay as much as the base rate does.
How is it different from installation work?
The ST0152 apprenticeship covers both routes. Installation electricians install, test and commission low voltage systems, below 1000V. Maintenance electricians learn to plan and prepare maintenance on systems that already exist. Both need the same grounding in termination, wiring systems, inspection and testing, and fault diagnosis. At the end, apprentices sit either the Installation or the Maintenance version of the Level 3 Electrotechnical Qualification.
On an installation job you build something new and then move to the next site. In maintenance you usually stay put and get to know one site's equipment very well. You spend more time on live plant, isolations and keeping production running, and less on first fix and containment. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 apply to both, and HSE publishes a memorandum of guidance on them, HSR25.
What are multi-skilled maintenance roles?
Many manufacturers advertise for multi-skilled or electromechanical engineers rather than pure electricians. ST0154 has an Electromechanical Technician option: these technicians install and dismantle combined power and control systems, carry out planned, unplanned and preventative maintenance, and trace faults across electrical and mechanical parts. Skills England also lists engineering maintenance technician occupations with separate electrical, mechanical and control and instrumentation pathways.
If you can handle a gearbox, a pneumatic actuator or a PLC fault as well as a motor starter, you will be in demand on production sites. An electrician from an installation background can move into this work. Expect to pick up mechanical and controls skills on the job or through short courses.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. Percentile ranges are for all electricians, based on the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, April 2026 (provisional), moved to the current year with a wage index. Regional figures are modelled. JIB figures are the official National Standard Rates (Job Employed, Transport Provided) from 5 January 2026, worked out at 37.5 hours over 52 weeks. Shift allowances, overtime and call-out pay can add a lot on top. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Level 3 maintenance qualificationThe ECS Maintenance Electrician card accepts an approved electrical maintenance apprenticeship, a maintenance apprenticeship with an electrical pathway, a Level 3 NVQ in Electrical Maintenance, a Level 3 NVQ in Engineering Maintenance (Electrical or Electronic pathway), or the ECITB Level 3 NVQ in Maintaining Plant and Systems (Electrical pathway).
- BS 7671 qualificationYou need a formal qualification in whichever edition of the Wiring Regulations is current when you apply. Since 1 January 2019 that has meant BS 7671:2018.
- ECS health and safety assessmentYou must hold a current ECS Health, Safety and Environmental Assessment before the card is issued.
- Registered Electrician sign-upSince 1 January 2019, anyone applying for this card also has to sign up as an ECS Registered Electrician.
- Fault-finding abilityEmployers want proof that you can trace faults on motors, controls and distribution equipment without someone standing over you. Bring real examples to the interview.
- English and mathsST0152 says most entrants already have Level 2 English and maths. Apprentices who do not must reach Level 2 before they finish.
Across the UK
| England, Wales and Northern Ireland | The Joint Industry Board runs the ECS card scheme, the Maintenance Electrician gold card included. |
|---|---|
| Scotland | The Scottish Joint Industry Board handles ECS applications and information in Scotland. |
How to get there
- Year 0Start an apprenticeshipJoin a maintenance apprenticeship with an electrical pathway, or the ST0152 Installation and Maintenance Electrician apprenticeship on the maintenance route.
- Years 1-4Train on site and at collegeLearn isolation, testing, fault diagnosis and planned maintenance alongside experienced engineers. The original ST0152 text expected a new entrant to need at least 42 months, typically 48.
- Year 4Pass the Level 3 qualification and BS 7671Finish the Level 3 maintenance qualification and a qualification in the current Wiring Regulations.
- Year 4Apply for the ECS gold cardPass the ECS health and safety assessment, sign up as a Registered Electrician and apply for the Maintenance Electrician card.
- Year 5 onwardsBroaden your skillsAdd mechanical, PLC or instrumentation skills for multi-skilled jobs, or move towards shift leader or maintenance supervisor.
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Questions people ask
Can an installation electrician move into maintenance?
Yes. The ST0152 apprenticeship trains both from the same base of wiring, testing and fault diagnosis, so the skills carry over. Expect to learn site-specific plant, controls and isolation procedures once you start.
Which ECS card does a maintenance electrician need?
The JIB issues a Maintenance Electrician gold card for people who work on installations, plant and equipment to keep them running safely. You need a recognised Level 3 maintenance qualification, a BS 7671 qualification in the current edition, a current ECS health and safety assessment and Registered Electrician sign-up.
What is the difference between planned and reactive maintenance?
Planned or preventative maintenance is scheduled work, such as inspections, testing and servicing, that stops faults before they happen. Reactive maintenance is fixing something that has already failed, often under pressure because production has stopped.
Do maintenance electricians work shifts?
Many do, because factories and process plants often run outside normal hours. The National Careers Service gives 37 to 45 hours a week for electricians and mentions on-call work. Check the rota and how call-outs are paid before you accept a job.
What if I am not qualified to Level 3 NVQ standard?
The ECS offers the Experienced Worker Assessment to bring experienced operatives up to Level 3 standard. Other ECS cards give site access for specific tasks and can be upgraded to gold once you qualify.
How much does a maintenance electrician earn?
For UK electricians, the middle half earns roughly £33,100 to £51,300 a year, with a median of about £41,800. Shift allowances and overtime often push maintenance pay higher than the base rate.
Sources
- ECS: Maintenance Electrician gold card
- Skills England: Installation electrician and maintenance electrician (ST0152)
- Skills England: Maintenance and operations engineering technician (ST0154)
- Skills England: Engineering maintenance technician occupation
- National Careers Service: Electrician job profile
- HSE: Electricity and the law
- JIB: Industrial Determination 2026-2028
