An ECS Card
Thinking of working within the electrical industry? Wondering what it means when people start talking about which card they need to get working on site? Well today we'll be talking about what an ECS Card is and what it exactly means! In a nutshell, if you are looking to work within electrics, rest assured it's something you'll be applying for. Let's find out more...
ECS stands for the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme and is a partner of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). There is some confusion, (commonly amongst those who aren't Electricians) as to whether you need a separate CSCS card. If an electrical title is what you're working towards, then you only need the ECS Card!
It may seem confusing at first, but think of it like this.. you apply for a CSCS Card, but not an ECS Card. It's simply a certification scheme, not a card application scheme. This means each person has their skills assessed and certified based on the evidence of qualifications they submit.
In the words of the ECS, 'The card they receive represents the grade they have been awarded following this skills certification process – so for instance Installation Electrician, Maintenance Electrician, Site Manager, Datacomms Installer and so on'.
This ensures that the given tradesmen really do have the skills they say they have and gives employers peace of mind.
Electrician Training at Ableskills
Who Sets These Standards?
Ableskills Electrical Courses & Electrician Training Are Both City & Guilds Accredited
Good question! Well the ECS is owned by the JIB and the Scottish JIB and those who determine what makes a qualified Electrician involve a joint effort via a collaboration of industry employees and employers via Unite the Union, Electrical Contractors’ Association and SELECT – this group convenes and agrees the rules of ECS and what qualifications are required at each level.
The ECS Card acts as a proven level of competence and skill and there's a reason why such card is like gold dust. The higher the skillset you have, the more money you'll earn. If you're new to the industry, please bear in mind that you cannot simply become a qualified Electrician over night.
You need to have undergone various Electrical Courses and Electrician Training with industry experience under your belt. As a minimum, you need the City & Guilds NVQ Level 3 and successfully pass your exams held in our AM2 Centre to classify yourself as an Electrician.
If you're starting out, then the City & Guilds Level 2 Electrical Course is what you're looking for! For a full list of the Electrical Courses and Electrician Training Ableskills provides, please click here.