Electrician

Wiring new homes and shops; fixing faults, short circuits and tripping; fitting fans, lights, switchboards, inverters and meters; maintaining motors, pumps and control panels in factories; testing and earthing; increasingly EV charger and solar-related connections.

A day in the work
You start early, check your tools, tester and materials, and travel to the first site. Maybe a flat needs a new circuit for an AC, and then a shop has a tripping MCB. You switch off the supply, test before touching anything, trace the fault, fix it and test again. In the afternoon you may fit a fan or a switchboard, explain the bill to the customer and note the next day's jobs. If you work in a factory, your day is more about checking motors and panels and fixing breakdowns on a shift.

1. Step 1 · Class 8–10Take Science and Maths seriously in Class 10. ITI electrical trades ask for them, and you will use basic calculations, Ohm's law and drawings every day. Minimum age to join ITI is 14.
2. Step 2 · After Class 10Apply for ITI Electrician through your state's ITI admission portal (usually online, merit-based, in the months after results). Prefer a government ITI. Check that the ITI is NCVT-affiliated before paying any fee. (reported — check with the official body)
3. Step 3 · 2 yearsITI Electrician (NSQF Level 4). You learn safety and first aid, wire joints, house wiring, measuring instruments, motors, transformers and control panels. The latest DGT syllabus also includes EV charging station installation. At the end you are tested and awarded the National Trade Certificate.
4. Step 4 · 6 months to 3 years (optional but valuable)Do an apprenticeship with a factory or contractor on the Apprenticeship India portal. It is paid on-the-job training under the Apprentices Act. Duration depends on the trade (reported). The official minimum stipend range, since the September 2025 revision, is about ₹6,800 to ₹12,300 a month depending on qualification. The ITI level falls in between and sources differ, so check the portal. Successful apprentices get a National Apprenticeship Certificate. (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Wireman permitApply to your state's Electrical Licensing Board / Electrical Inspectorate for a wireman certificate of competency and permit. In several states, ITI Electrician or Wireman holders are exempt from the exam, while others sit a practical and oral test. Experience certificates from a licensed contractor are often asked for, especially if your ITI is old. Details differ by state. (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · Working on your ownMost people first work under a licensed contractor or in a factory maintenance team. To take contracts in your own name you need a state contractor licence. Boards usually require you to employ a licensed supervisor and permit-holding wiremen on a full-time basis. In Kerala, for example, the smallest contractor grade needs a wireman permit plus 3–5 years' experience as a wireman.
7. OptionalA 3-year diploma in Electrical Engineering after Class 10, or later study, opens the way to a supervisor's certificate and junior-engineer type jobs. Short courses in solar, EV charging, PLC or automation add skills.

• ITI route (most common)Class 10, then 2-year ITI Electrician, then apprenticeship if possible, then a wireman permit. This is the cleanest and most recognised path.
• Learn-on-the-job routeSome states allow people with Class 10 and several years of certified experience under a licensed contractor to take the wireman competency test without an ITI. In Kerala's rules, this takes a minimum of five years' practical experience. It is slower, and the paperwork is harder.
• Diploma routeA 3-year polytechnic diploma in Electrical Engineering after Class 10. It is longer and costs more, but leads towards supervisor-level certificates and junior engineer posts.

Fees from: Telangana ITI Admissions 2024: tuition fee annexure · PIB: National Apprenticeship Promotion and Training Schemes. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Earnings depend a lot on whether you work for a contractor or factory or for yourself, on your city, on your skills such as panels, automation or EV and solar work, and on how steady your customers are; most people start low as helpers and apprentices and earn more with a licence and experience.

Seat reservations for girls and for students with disabilities in ITIs are set by each state, so check your state's admission notice. In May 2025 the Central Apprenticeship Council recommended that trades state their suitability for persons with benchmark disabilities and reserve apprenticeship places for them. Women can and do train as electricians, and some states have women-only ITIs.

• Class 7–9Read the 'Electricity' chapter in your NCERT Science book. Then, with an adult nearby, build a simple circuit with torch cells, a bulb and a switch. Use only batteries, never mains electricity.Open link ↗
• Class 10–12Open the official DGT Electrician syllabus and read the first-year list of practicals. Then visit your nearest government ITI, ask to see the electrician workshop, and ask about last year's admission dates and cut-off.Open link ↗
• College or afterRegister for free on the Apprenticeship India portal and browse electrician apprenticeship vacancies near you, to see which employers take apprentices and for how long.Open link ↗

• There is no single national wireman licence. Permits and contractor licences are issued by state boards, and rules differ. A permit from one state may not be accepted in another, so check where you plan to work. Contractors doing Central Government work holding a licence from one state need not take another state's licence.
• ITI Electrician and Electrician (Power Distribution) are two separate DGT trades. The Power Distribution trade covers transformers, lines and cables, and is closer to electricity-board work.
• Electrical work can kill. Please do not try house wiring or fix mains faults yourself or without training. Learn only under a trained instructor.
• Interested in design and machines more than site work? Look at the diploma and engineering routes in the related careers.