You could take a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to apply for a trainee job.

Courses include:

• electrical or electronic engineering
• engineering technology
• engineering maintenance
• electrical systems engineering

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You can apply to do an apprenticeship with a power generating company to get into this job. For example:

• Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Project Controls Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Electrical Networks Power Engineer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

These can take around 3 years to complete and combine on-the-job training with off-site learning with a training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Some power generation companies run training programmes for their workers, who have the potential to become successful technicians and engineers.

You might be able to apply for jobs directly if you've got experience and qualifications in electrical engineering or maintenance work from another industry.

You'll need:

• the ability to operate and control equipment
• observation and recording skills
• the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• excellent verbal communication skills
• knowledge of maths
• to be flexible and open to change
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll need to:

• pass security checks

As an electricity generation worker, you'll:

• operate machinery from a power plant control room
• carry out scheduled maintenance work
• follow electrical diagrams to find and fix faults
• isolate and test equipment to make sure it's working safely
• respond to emergencies, for example shutting down part of a plant
• monitor control systems and report issues
• work closely with engineers and contractors

You could work in a control room or in a workshop.

You may need to wear protective clothing.