Have your say on ECA’s public affairs priorities

This summer, ECA has started a Member consultation to help shape our public affairs priorities for 2027 to 2030. We want to make sure our work with government, civil servants and other decision makers continues to reflect what Members are seeing on the ground, the pressures they face locally, and the opportunities ahead for the electrotechnical sector.

Our current priorities — Business Resilience, Skills for the Future, and a Safe Transition to Net Zero — were agreed after Member consultation in 2022. Since then, they have helped focus ECA’s conversations with policy makers and strengthen our voice on the issues that matter most to Members.

There is already progress to build on. Electrification is now recognised as the fastest and safest route to net zero, ECA has pressed for action on unfair electricity taxation, secured Member representation in national skills discussions, supported regional skills work through Electrotechnical Training and Careers Alliances, and significantly influenced payment and retentions legislation currently going through Parliament.

ECA’s Standing Committees — Business and Policy and Practice, Technical, and Skills — have now considered the priorities for the next three-year period. Based on their feedback, we are proposing three high-level priorities: a skilled and competent workforce, a safe electrical future, and a resilient business environment.

The Proposed Priorities

A skilled and competent workforce	A safe electrical future	A resilient business environment
ECA is calling for:
Recognition that a competent electrical workforce is key to achieving clean electrification.	Recognition that a safe electrical future is only possible with the right national infrastructure.	Improvement in the commercial environment in which electrical contractors operate.
Evidence-based electrical workforce planning in collaboration with the electrical industry.	Prevention of electrical risks through policy collaboration between industry and government.	Improved payment and fair contractual practices.
Alignment of qualifications and funding with competence standards.	Recognition of the importance of competence in electrical standards and specifications.	SME inclusive procurement practices which are value, not cost, focused which accounts for FM, not just construction, costs.
Financial incentives for SMEs training priority occupations, such as electricians.	Fiscal rebalancing of energy to incentivise transition to electrification.	Reducing barriers/costs of employment.

What we would like Members to consider

We now want to hear whether these priorities feel right for Members in your region and whether the wording reflects the practical pressures electrical contractors are experiencing locally.

In particular, we would welcome views on whether anything is missing, whether anything is overstated, and whether any of the proposed wording should be changed to better reflect Member experience.

Do these feel like the right public affairs priorities for ECA from 2027 to 2030?

Are there regional pressures or opportunities that should be reflected more strongly?

Is anything missing from the proposed priorities?

Is any wording unclear, too broad, or not ambitious enough?

What happens next

RECs will consider the proposed priorities at their meetings in September. Council will review and ratify the final list before the new priorities go live in 2027. Please email jane.dawson@eca.co.uk by 14th September if you have any comments.

This is an important opportunity to keep ECA’s public affairs work rooted in Member insight, focused on the issues that matter most, and ready to support a skilled, safe and resilient electrical future.