Career Suggestion

Electricity generation worker

Electricity generation workers operate and maintain equipment in power stations.

Average salary (a year)

£24000.0 to £35000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

37.0 to 42.0 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends on shifts

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly

College

You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to apply for a trainee job.

Courses include:

  • electrical or electronic engineering
  • engineering technology
  • engineering maintenance
  • electrical systems engineering

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship with a power generating company to get into this job. For example:

  • Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Project Controls Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Electrical Networks Power Engineer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

These can take around 3 years to complete and combine on-the-job training with off-site learning with a training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Work

Some power generation companies run training programmes for their workers, who have the potential to become successful technicians and engineers.

Direct Application

You might be able to apply for jobs directly if you've got experience and qualifications in electrical engineering or maintenance work from another industry.

More Information

Career Tips

Power industry employers welcome applications from ex-military personnel who have developed technical skills during their time in the armed forces.

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in the power industry from Energy & Utilities Careers & Jobs and National Grid .

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • observation and recording skills
  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of maths
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

Day-to-day tasks

As an electricity generation worker, you'll:

  • operate machinery from a power plant control room
  • carry out scheduled maintenance work
  • follow electrical diagrams to find and fix faults
  • isolate and test equipment to make sure it's working safely
  • respond to emergencies, for example shutting down part of a plant
  • monitor control systems and report issues
  • work closely with engineers and contractors

We've identified this as a potential green job

For an electricity generation worker to be a green job, you could:

  • get involved in renewable energy projects
  • upskill so that you can operate clean energy technologies
  • reduce and recycle scrap materials like electrical components

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You could work in a control room or in a workshop.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

With experience and further training, you could become a supervisor, operations and maintenance technician or control and instrumentation engineer.

You could also take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in power engineering and become an electrical or mechanical engineer.

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