The electrician makes light, heat and power work in everything from detached houses to industry and charging points. It's a trade with high demand, pay during training, and a straight path from curious beginner to skilled tradesperson. Here's why you should consider the trade.
Introduction
An electrician installs, maintains and troubleshoots electrical systems. You pull cables, put up distribution boards, fit switches and sockets, connect machinery and make sure the protection against shock and fire is in place. The work ranges widely: one week you're in a home, the next on a building site, in industry, or at a charging point for electric cars.
Why this trade in particular?
Because electrification is in full swing. Heat pumps, solar panels, charging stations and energy retrofits demand more electricians than the industry has, and demand for skilled workers is high and steady. You earn a wage from day one of your on-the-job training instead of paying to study, and there are good odds of finding an apprenticeship.
- 01High demand — the green transition is driving the need for electricians.
- 02Pay during training — you're an apprentice and earn money as you go.
- 03Variety — residential, commercial, industrial, automation, energy and data.
- 04Responsibility and trust — your work must be safe to touch and comply with the regulations.
- 05Career path — from apprentice to journeyman, and on to foreman, installer or your own business.
What must you be able to do — and learn?
You need to understand basic electrical theory (Ohm's law, power, alternating current), be able to size cables and circuits, choose the right protection against overcurrent and earth faults, and carry out the installation according to the rules. A large part of the trade is measuring and documenting: continuity, insulation resistance and testing of the protection before the installation is energised.
- 01Electrical engineering — voltage, current, resistance, power and cos φ.
- 02Cable sizing — current-carrying capacity, voltage drop and short circuit.
- 03Protection — RCD/residual-current device, circuit breakers and earthing.
- 04Measurement & testing — checks before energising.
- 05Rules – Electrical Safety Act, Installation Regulation (BEK 1082/2016) and DS/HD 60364 series.
How you get started
Electrician is a vocational education and training (VET) programme. You typically start on the basic course at a vocational college and then take up an apprenticeship at a company, where you alternate between school and on-the-job training. You don't need to know everything in advance — you just need a desire to learn a trade. If you want to get a feel for the trade first, create a free account and take a look at the articles, calculators and quizzes here.
“The best thing about the job is making things work — and knowing it's safe because you measured and documented it yourself.”
How long is the education?
The whole education lasts 4 years and 6 months to 5 years. That figure includes parts 1 and 2 of the basic programme, each lasting 20 weeks. Then comes the main programme, where you alternate between school and in-company training. You must have at least 02 in the programme-specific subject from the basic programme to enter the main programme.
| Vej | Length of the main course | School weeks |
|---|---|---|
| VET for young people, Electrician 1 | 3 years and 6 months | 40 |
| VET for young people, Electrician 2 | 4 år | 45 |
| euv (adults), Electrician 1 | 3 years and 5 months | 36 |
| euv (adults), Electrician 2 | 3 years and 11 months | 41 |
| eux (with upper secondary subjects) | 4 år | 68,6 |
The education covers building installations, automation in industry, maritime electrical installations and installations connected to the supply grid. The journeyman's test has two parts. To get a school certificate, you must have an average of at least 2.0 in the basic subjects and at least 02 in each programme-specific subject.
Electrician 1 or Electrician 2?
The education has two specialisations: Electrician 1 and Electrician 2. Electrician 2 lasts half a year longer and has five more school weeks than Electrician 1. How the education is structured is described in the article on the electrician education 2026.
Where is the work?
Heat pumps and solar panels are two of the tasks that are growing. The chart shows what share of residential buildings from each decade have a heat pump. Notice the shape: the heat pump is most often found in the oldest and the newest houses. Houses from the mid-1900s more often have district heating or their own boiler — that is where the conversions can come.
Solar panels are spread unevenly across the country. See which municipalities have the largest share of homes with solar panels. They are typically municipalities with many detached houses. In the blocks of flats in the cities there are few systems.