England is not training enough electricians to meet future demand from housing, clean energy, infrastructure, and data centre projects, according to new analysis from electrical training provider JTL.
The organisation says apprenticeship starts have fallen below 7,000 a year, significantly below the estimated 12,500 annual starts needed to maintain a workforce capable of supporting future demand.
JTL’s latest analysis also highlights the Government’s assessment that construction and clean energy sectors alone will require more than 32,000 additional electricians by 2035.
Alongside this, the training provider points to a growing pipeline of major data centre developments expected to progress before 2030, increasing demand further for skilled electrical workers.
Workforce growth remains limited
Building on its Powering the Future workforce projection model, first published in 2025, JTL says England’s electrical workforce has increased only marginally, from 160,200 to 161,300 during 2025. However, it remains around 25% smaller than it was in 2018, with more people expected to leave the profession than enter it.
The report also identifies a persistent apprenticeship achievement gap of around seven percentage points between levy-paying and non-levy employers. According to JTL, the gap is wider across trade-based apprenticeships, where small and medium-sized businesses account for a larger share of employers.
JTL estimates the sector requires approximately 12,500 apprenticeship starts each year – alongside around 5,500 additional entrants and a further 800 people qualifying through NVQ or Experienced Worker Assessment routes – to meet future workforce requirements.
The findings were presented during an ECA and BESA-sponsored industry roundtable attended by senior civil servants, where analysis of planned developments highlighted increasing demand for electricians and building services engineers across digital infrastructure, housing, and energy projects.
Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of JTL, notes, “One year on from our original research, the message is clear: the electrical workforce is still standing still. A modest increase in the workforce estimate (less than 1%) is not enough to build the capacity needed to deliver the UK’s housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and digital ambitions.
“From grid upgrades and low-carbon technologies to the rapid growth of data centres, demand for skilled electricians and building services engineers is only increasing, but the training pipeline is not keeping pace.
“Apprenticeships remain the gold standard route into a competent electrical workforce, but we need support for more starts, greater hiring incentives for SMEs, and a simpler system that makes it easier for businesses to invest in apprenticeships with confidence.”
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