The ‘Great Electrification’ of Scotland — with renewable energy at its core — desperately needs more qualified electricians who are properly trained and understand the changing landscape.

SELECT is the body which represents Scotland’s electrical contractors and individuals. Sharon Miller, its new managing director designate, has pledged to continue the association’s long-running crusade for regulation of the electrical profession.

She is urging decisive action from Scotland’s political party leaders on regulation and the training of apprentices and the continuing education for qualified members.

With the UK’s transition to net zero accelerating, Miller warned that the risks associated with an increasingly electric future cannot be ignored.

She said: “Our homes, transport and infrastructure are becoming more dependent on electricity. Lithium batteries alone are a growing concern, with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service recording a seven-fold increase in battery-related fires between 2018 and 2024. Once these fires take hold, they can burn for days and are incredibly difficult to extinguish.”

Miller said says she is ‘absolutely committed’ to building on more than a century of campaigning to win protection of title, and has already written to Scotland’s party leaders urging them to put regulation at the heart of their Scottish Parliamentary election manifestos.

Her call comes after Sir Tom Hunter raised deep concerns about training in his recent Entrepreneurs Manifesto for Scotland, which made a number of far-reaching requests on the new government.

The manifesto is seeking the Apprenticeship Levy to be dropped with the instigation of a system that allows apprenticeships to be tax deductible, funded by the reallocation of Skills Development Scotland’s budget.  He has urged that an online learning portal for AI, offering crucial AI skills for schools, universities and businesses, should be set up.

The Hunter Foundation has made a commitment of £1m towards this if the Scottish Government will match that commitment of an open access, free resource.

Furthermore, he urges making training programmes tax deductible to support a developing workforce.

“The Apprenticeship Levy did not have the effect that the then Tory Government would have hoped for, in fact it actually resulted in a decrease in apprenticeships, especially in the construction industry.

“Scotland could lead the way in kickstarting a new interest in the importance of Technical Apprenticeships. We have a major shortage across all the trades in construction, we need hundreds of new electricians, plumbers, heating engineers, bricklayers and roofers,” says Hunter’s manifesto.

 This call for more trained electricians is vital for the green energy transition. Sharon Miller is pressing for more understanding about the role of electricians.

“Like many people, I once assumed there was a regulatory system in place to ensure that anyone carrying out electrical work was properly qualified. The reality is that anyone who claims they can wire a plug can call themselves an electrician. Yet in unqualified hands, electricity can be dangerous and cause serious fire risks.

“With the Scottish Parliament elections in May approaching, we will be working intensively to ensure politicians of all parties understand that regulation of the electrical profession must be a priority for public safety.

“I have already written to the leaders of all the major political parties engaging them to build support for regulation and the electrotechnical industry into their election manifestos,”

“I’m absolutely committed to working with members and partners to achieve regulation and build a safe electrotechnical industry for generations to come.”

Ms Miller said that regulation will continue to be SELECT’s top priority, as outline in their manifesto She added: “SELECT members have called for statutory regulation since the organisation’s inception more than 125 years ago, yet progress has remained frustratingly slow.

“Time and again, politicians have agreed that ‘something must be done’, but little has changed. The tragedy of Grenfell in 2017 horrified the nation, yet the focus of reform has been on cladding rather than the electrical fault that started the fire. That must change.

“Together, we can build a safer electrotechnical industry that the public can trust and one of which we can all be proud.”

Miller also said that regulation would help consumers, who often face a confusing and fragmented marketplace when trying to identify properly qualified tradespeople.

“There are countless websites and schemes, many of which are unclear about qualification levels. Even Trading Standards’ Trusted Trader schemes rely largely on customer reviews rather than robust technical competence.  As a potential customer, using a SELECT contractor means you can trust that they are fully qualified and reliable.”