As the electrification of society quickens, MD insists that Scotland’s electrical sector must be regulated to keep the country safe

Unqualified electricians in Scotland pose a significant threat to public safety, the head of Scotland’s largest construction trade association has warned.

Alan Wilson, Managing Director of campaigning electrical trade body SELECT, voiced his concerns in a new podcast during which he also reinforced the urgent need for the regulation of the electrical sector in the country.

Speaking to architect Kenneth Martin on Hard Hat Talks, Mr Wilson said that as many as 13% of fires in the home could be traced back to poor electrical work, though accurate statistics were hard to come by.

And he highlighted that although professions like doctors, nurses and even farriers and door staff were tightly regulated, there is no such requirement for electricians – meaning anyone can set themselves up as an apparent expert, risking public safety.

Mr Wilson said: “These kind of people tend to be the kind who will turn up at your house in a van that says ‘Plumber, Electrician, Decorator, Joiner, Roofer’ on the side – and then one person gets out. That’s who they tend to be.

“What they tend to do is small scale electrical work, where they’ll maybe connect bits of wiring. If they’re doing kitchen work, they’ll maybe connect up lights or cookers.

“But, as we all know, things move on and electrical installation is becoming ever more complex. The Wiring Regulations, which lay down the requirements for electricians, are currently being updated, with the latest version due to be issued next year.

“So, every year that goes by, working practices change. Therefore, if the person maybe did have some kind of knowledge back in, say, the year 2000, then 25 years later, the landscape is completely different.”

Kenneth Martin, managing director of Block Architects, said: “Frankly, it’s surprising that in 2025, when we’re designing £50,000 kitchens and whole-house renewable systems, anyone can call themselves an electrician. As architects, we carry a huge burden of liability, but when the very safety of a family in their new home depends on unqualified work, that is a failure of the system. Alan’s fight for regulation is not just about protecting a trade; it’s about protecting the public.”

Mr Wilson said that SELECT was continuing its push for regulation and that, while it had been successful in garnering cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament, it was now trying to embed the promise of regulation into party manifestos ahead of next year’s elections.

He said: “Whenever we speak to politicians and explain to them that it’s an unregulated profession, they throw up their hands in horror and say, ‘Oh, we can’t believe that. How has that not happened?’ And in turn WE throw our hands up and say, ‘Well make it happen – YOU have the power to do something.’

“The opportunity is there because we’re now looking at the ongoing electrification of society. It’s so important that the products put into our homes that we use on a day-to-day basis are installed safely by people who are properly trained and who know what they’re doing.”

Mr Wilson said that the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT), the managing agent for electrical installation apprenticeships in Scotland, saw 19,000 people undertake its aptitude test between January and July this year.

However, the number of apprentices taken on by firms in Scotland averages between 850 and 900 annually, partly because Mr Wilson said the smaller businesses who take on the majority of apprentices are not being given enough government support.

He said: “I don’t think anyone who recruits an apprentice does so on a planned return on investment basis. Employers invest huge amounts of time and money when you consider everything that they put in, in terms of their on-the-job training, their time, paying for the time the students are at college, wages, holidays and so on.”

Mr Wilson also used the podcast to stress that the construction industry is an enabling sector, which relies on clear, consistent policy direction from the government regarding initiatives like renewables.  He said policy changes, or withdrawal of funding, make it impossible for micro-businesses to commit to vital, time-consuming training, such as a five-day course for battery storage.

Both Mr Wilson and host Kenneth agreed that the sluggishness of the planning system is also a problem that sends ripples across the entire construction sector and that fixing planning would be the single most impactful action the government could take.

The SELECT MD also said that the most important change needed in the industry is prompt payment and getting money flowing from large clients, and even domestic customers, to small businesses.

Mr Wilson said this capital is what allows SMEs to pay staff, circulate money locally and, crucially, fund apprentice training, and that he supported a move toward trust accounts for retention money, rather than outright prohibition.

Listen to new podcast here or watch here.