Security alarm technician to electrician
A security alarm technician already meets 36% of what the electrician role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.6/ 100
1 How much of what an electrician is expected to do is already part of a security alarm technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the electrician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An electrician role treats 9 of its required skills as things a security alarm technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- inspect electrical supplies
- install electrical and electronic equipment
- keep records of work progress
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An electrician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a security alarm technician background worth leading with.
- already held install circuit breakers working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held cut wall chases handling and moving
- already held inspect electrical supplies constructing
- already held program firmware working with computers
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held replace defect components working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 17 carried skills, including the 9 the electrician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn install electricity sockets required
- still to learn install lightning protection system required
- still to learn install electric switches required
- still to learn maintain electrical equipment required
- still to learn splice cable required
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held repair wiring optional
- optional, not held use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs optional
- optional, not held use specialised tools in electric repairs optional
- still to learn building systems monitoring technology required
- still to learn electrical testing methods required
- optional, not held artificial lighting systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wire accessories optional
- optional, not held solar panel mounting systems optional
- optional, not held control systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring diagrams optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- still to learn work in a construction team required
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
- still to learn bind wire required
- still to learn use precision tools required
- optional, not held use sander optional
- optional, not held assemble electrical components optional
- optional, not held assemble electronic units optional
- optional, not held strip wire optional
- still to learn test electrical equipment required
- optional, not held install smart devices optional
- optional, not held solder electronics optional
- optional, not held process incoming construction supplies optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held measure electrical characteristics optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an electrician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 building systems monitoring technology study this
- 02 install electricity sockets practise this
- 03 install lightning protection system practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held inspect electrical supplies skill
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held use measurement instruments skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held automation technology knowledge
- already held cut wall chases skill
- already held electromechanics knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held inspect construction supplies skill
- already held install circuit breakers skill
- already held program firmware skill
- already held replace defect components skill
26 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held artificial lighting systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wire accessories optional
- optional, not held install smart devices optional
- optional, not held process incoming construction supplies optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held solar panel mounting systems optional
- optional, not held use sander optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held assemble electrical components optional
- optional, not held assemble electronic units optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held control systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring diagrams optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held measure electrical characteristics optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held repair wiring optional
- optional, not held solder electronics optional
- optional, not held strip wire optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- optional, not held use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs optional
- optional, not held use specialised tools in electric repairs optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
24 held skills the electrician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on new equipment skill
- not needed by the target role check compatibility of materials skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate products' features skill
- not needed by the target role glass breakage sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement ICT security policies skill
- not needed by the target role implement a firewall skill
- not needed by the target role implement anti-virus software skill
- not needed by the target role infrared sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage closed-circuit television system skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform software unit testing skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role plan maintenance activities skill
- not needed by the target role program home alarm systems skill
- not needed by the target role reed sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role remove computer virus or malware from a computer skill
- not needed by the target role security panels knowledge
- not needed by the target role smoke sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role test electronic units skill
- not needed by the target role test sensors skill
- not needed by the target role types of alarm systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role wire security sensors skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn building systems monitoring technology required
- still to learn electrical testing methods required
- optional, not held artificial lighting systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wire accessories optional
- optional, not held solar panel mounting systems optional
- optional, not held control systems optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring diagrams optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
Common questions about this move
Can a security alarm technician become an electrician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A security alarm technician already covers 36% of what an electrician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 9 of which the electrician role treats as required.
What skills does a security alarm technician need to become an electrician?
12 required skills are missing, plus 26 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is building systems monitoring technology.
How hard is the move from security alarm technician to electrician?
Its learning distance is 68.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.