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EDWartens UK
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Free courses

Free electrical courses UK

Are there free electrical courses in the UK? Yes. These 21 courses are free to learn and include BS 7671 wiring regulations, inspection and testing, motor control, design and safety. They are not an electrician qualification, which needs an apprenticeship or a college award. A certificate is optional (£19 including VAT).

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21 free Electrical design and panels courses

Showing 12 of 21 courses

Electrical design and panels in the UK

Courses written for UK work

Three courses follow UK standards and practice. They are the ones to start with if you work in the UK.

Our page on the 18th Edition and Amendment 4 explains what is free here and what is a paid qualification.

What a free electrical course is not

Be clear about this before you start, because the search results for free electrical courses are mostly paid ones.

  • It is not an electrician qualification or a licence to work.
  • It is not the City & Guilds 2382 (18th Edition), 2391 or 2392 qualification.
  • It is not registration with a competent person scheme.
  • The certificate is not accredited or endorsed by an awarding body, trade body or professional institution.

Routes into electrical work in the UK are an apprenticeship or a college qualification, and schemes and employers set their own requirements. Ask them what they accept.

Pick a course by goal

Practise in the browser

The EDWartens Lab has free simulators for the practical side: a multimeter, electrical wiring and motor control. They are practice, not a substitute for supervised work on live equipment.

How to study alongside work or college

Take one course at a time and finish its final exam before the next. The wiring regulations course is about 25 hours of study, and the inspection and testing course has 8 modules, so a few evenings a week gets through either in weeks, not days. Keep a short log of what you learned and what you practised in the Lab. It is useful evidence for an interview, an apprenticeship application or your college tutor.

Questions

Electrical design and panels: common questions

Is there a free electrician course in the UK?
There are free electrical courses, including these, but a free online course does not make you an electrician. In the UK that takes an apprenticeship or a college qualification plus assessed practical work. These courses help you learn the knowledge before or alongside that route.
Is there a free 18th Edition course?
The qualification exam course (City & Guilds 2382, now 2382-26 for Amendment 4) is a paid course at training providers. What is free here is the knowledge behind BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, in two courses. See Free BS 7671 course for the detail.
Do I get a free certificate?
Learning and the final exam are free. The EDWartens certificate of completion costs £19 including VAT, is optional and can be verified by number and QR code.
Are the electrical courses accredited?
No. The courses and certificate are not accredited by an awarding body, trade body or professional institution, and no vendor, City & Guilds, IET or NICEIC endorses them.
Do I need tools or a workshop?
No. The courses are video lessons, notes and quizzes. The Lab's browser simulators cover meter and wiring practice. Working on real installations should only be done under supervision by a competent person.
Which electrical course should I take first?
If you are new, Electrical Fundamentals for Technicians. If you already work with installations, the BS 7671 inspection and testing course. For design work, Electrical Design Engineering.

Next steps

Practise, then apply

Job simulations (practice, not employment)

UK jobs

Free simulators in the EDWartens Lab

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