With just over 100 days to the Senedd elections, this week saw the launch of ECA’s Welsh Manifesto, with an urgent message to all political parties. The number of electricians is in sharp decline. In 2015, Wales had around 13,400 electricians and apprentices. Today, that number has plummeted to just 7,600.
ECA (Electrical Contractors’ Association), is Wales’ leading electrical trade association. This year it’s celebrating 125 years of championing electrical progress, standards, and fair business practices. ECA’s manifesto sets out three intertwined issues facing the electrotechnical industry with solutions on how these might be overcome.
As Head of External Affairs at ECA, I’m in regular contact with employers, decision-makers, and educators across Wales, and these issues arise time and again.
Increasing the size and quality of apprenticeship provision
Wales stands on the cusp of an enormous economic opportunity, one powered quite literally by the electricians who keep our homes, businesses and infrastructure running safely and efficiently.
Yet Wales needs at least 700 new electrical apprentices every year just to maintain the workforce it already has. Last year only 435 apprentices began training.
Those statistics represent stalled careers, slowed business growth, and a real threat to Welsh ambitions to expand electric vehicle charging, strengthen its energy networks, retrofit homes, and accelerate digitisation.
This decline in workforce is reversible if decision-makers, colleges and education providers, and industry collaborate on finding solutions.
Measures tailored to support small businesses
ECA recognises this isn’t simply a workforce challenge, it’s an economic one.
The electrotechnical sector contributes £3.5 billion to the Welsh economy. Most businesses within the industry are SMEs, who are currently facing a perfect storm of increased operating costs, poor payment practices, and a rising administrative burden. Many small firms are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, which is cause for concern at a time when demand is growing.
In the current climate, many firms are understandably reluctant to assume increased risk. One of the main deterrents is the extended period required to realise a return on investment for taking on an apprentice, which has nearly doubled in recent years*. This increased risk has resulted in a decrease in apprenticeship recruitment during the last year.
To help reverse this trend, introducing a requirement in public contracts to take on apprentices could help stem the tide. Making apprentice recruitment a mandatory condition would provide a strong incentive for firms to invest in developing new talent. Additionally, offering targeted incentives to SMEs during an apprentice's first year would further alleviate the burden.
With 98.4% of electrotechnical firms classed as SMEs, the health of the sector is reliant on their survival. Strengthening the policing of SME-friendly procurement and prompt payment commitments would unlock growth and give businesses more certainty, and, ultimately, prevent liquidation.
Embedding safety and technical competence in legislation
The regulatory landscape for building new homes and modernising existing homes is fragmented, inconsistent and poorly enforced.
Modernising and electrifying the built environment is about more than solving technical issues, it is also about shifting cultural norms and finding new solutions to long standing issues. This includes embracing flexibility to include locally generated energy from consumers who both feed into and draw from the National Grid.
With rapid electrification it is vital safety isn’t compromised. Competent, properly trained electricians are key to ensuring installations are energy efficient, free from fire and electrocution hazards, and are maintained regularly to optimise output. As Wales grows its electrical capacity, progress means that standards should rise, rather than fall.
Working together
Across Wales, electrical contractors have already made good progress in raising concerns about skills and training. ECA has enjoyed cross-party support for our 2024 Skills Charter, which calls for more electrical apprentices and greater collaboration between industry, Welsh Government, Medr and other public bodies.
Building on this, ECA’s 2026 Manifesto was developed with Welsh businesses who have real world experience. It offers practical steps to solving existing problems and shows that industry is stepping up to help deliver good jobs, prevent unintended consequences of siloed decisions, and of course, grow the Welsh economy.
A Call to All Political Parties
With the Welsh General Election taking place on 7 May, doubling the number of representatives in the Senedd, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Every political party must recognise the pivotal role our industry plays, in shaping Wales’ economic resilience and modernity. We look forward to seeing practical, deliverable commitments in the manifestos.
Electrical contractors are ready to power Wales’ next chapter. But we can only do it with a workforce equipped to meet the scale of demand ahead. And a future government prepared to match that ambition.
If you would like to meet with an ECA Member business to discuss the manifesto in more detail, please contact jane.dawson@eca.co.uk
