Relevant Qualifications for Alarm Engineers

Type of Work

Unlike other forms of electrical work alarm engineers will find their job quite physical. Engineers will have to be able to work up ladders and also under floor boards in awkward situations whilst undertaking wiring and other electrical work. This is not a job to undertake if you are heading towards the latter end of your working life and are no longer as fit as you would wish. Work is also conducted outside in all weathers.

Working Hours

The working hours of electrical engineers in the alarm industry will have to expect to work unsocial hours. Weekends and late nights will be the norm if you are on call as this is when alarms tend to go off and need resetting or repairing. Even though the wages will reflect these unsociable hours if you are not able to climb out of bed and go to work with a smile on your face then perhaps consider another form of electrical engineers work.

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Trainees and Apprentices

It is still possible for young people to be taken on either as apprentices or trainees within the alarm industry. The larger companies will have schemes available for those just leaving school or college and this should be considered for those wishing to train as alarm engineers and gaining the relevant qualifications. The governing bodies for electricians such as the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) can point potential trainees in the right direction for training and qualifications advice.

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Older Workers

Older workers wishing to join the industry would be best to try to be taken on as unskilled labour whilst they study for the relevant qualifications. This is quite hard to do as most employers do not want to hire untrained workers.

Having the Right Qualifications

Like most electrical skills the exam qualifications needed are with the City and Guilds institution. There are several qualifications to gain including the following:

• Knowledge of Security and Emergency Alarm Systems (1852). This gives the trainee the theoretical knowledge about access controls, intruder alarms, electrical principles and fire detection and alarms.
• City and Guilds 2382 17th edition wiring regulations. This qualification is a general electrical wiring qualification that is needed for most electrical engineers jobs in the industry. If an employee holds this qualification they are assured of obtaining a job in most types of electrical work. This qualification is updated quite often to keep in line with current wiring and electrical changes. It is up to the alarm engineers and other engineers to ensure that they have their qualifications up to date.

If the fitting and servicing of alarms is part of your electrical repair business you must make sure that your employees that work with any form of electrical wiring and equipment must have the relevant qualifications otherwise you will be liable if a problem occurs.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Electrical Business Startup Cost Calculator lets you work out what it really costs to set up as an electrician: tools, van, test equipment, certification, insurance and registration, so you know how much you need to start. Try it now →