Smart home installer to building electrician
A smart home installer already meets 27% of what the building electrician role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
73/ 100
1 How much of what a building electrician is expected to do is already part of a smart home installer’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 building electrician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A building electrician role treats 7 of its required skills as things a smart home installer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- building systems monitoring technology
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- inspect electrical supplies
- install electric switches
What stands in the way is 11 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A building electrician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a smart home installer background worth leading with.
- already held install electric switches working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held building systems monitoring technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held artificial lighting systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held inspect electrical supplies constructing
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held electrical wiring plans engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the building electrician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 39 missing skills fall into 8 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 splice cable required
- still to learn use measurement instruments required
- optional, not held install lightning protection system optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held install circuit breakers optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held repair wiring optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- still to learn resolve equipment malfunctions required
- optional, not held demonstrate products' features optional
- optional, not held work in a construction team optional
- 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 test electronic units required
- still to learn test procedures in electricity transmission required
- optional, not held install construction profiles optional
- optional, not held solder electronics optional
- still to learn use safety equipment in construction required
- still to learn work ergonomically 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 cut wall chases optional
- still to learn inspect construction supplies required
- optional, not held process incoming construction supplies optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a building electrician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 install electricity sockets practise this
- 02 inspect construction supplies practise this
- 03 react to events in time-critical environments 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held building systems monitoring technology knowledge
- 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 electric switches skill
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held artificial lighting systems knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held solar panel mounting systems optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held demonstrate products' features optional
- optional, not held install construction profiles optional
- optional, not held install lightning protection system 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 work in a construction team 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 automation technology optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held cut wall chases optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held install circuit breakers optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
- optional, not held repair wiring optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
- optional, not held solder electronics optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
22 held skills the building electrician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Internet of Things knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise customers on smart homes technology skill
- not needed by the target role alarm systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess integrated domotics systems skill
- not needed by the target role building automation knowledge
- not needed by the target role cameras knowledge
- not needed by the target role domotic systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical household appliances products knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic locks knowledge
- not needed by the target role install electrical household appliances skill
- not needed by the target role install lighting skill
- not needed by the target role install plumbing systems skill
- not needed by the target role install smart devices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role program home alarm systems skill
- not needed by the target role provide door security skill
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role smart grids systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role solar products knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of alarm systems knowledge
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held solar panel mounting systems optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
Common questions about this move
Can a smart home installer become a building electrician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A smart home installer already covers 27% of what a building electrician is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the building electrician role treats as required.
What skills does a smart home installer need to become a building electrician?
11 required skills are missing, plus 28 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is install electricity sockets.
How hard is the move from smart home installer to building electrician?
Its learning distance is 73 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.