History of the Electrician Trade

Despite its ubiquitous nature today, electricity was not a part of society in a major way until the latter 19th century. At that time, suddenly, electricians were needed to both install electricity in people's homes and businesses, and to maintain it.

Since that time, electric technology has become as common in society as that run by kerosene, wood and coal once was. In fact, we don't know what we would do without it? Today, electricity continues to be a foundation in society and we continue to advance in technology and in our civilisation as a whole.

As one of electricity's first uses, electric lighting was used both domestically and commercially. Running appliances required electricity, which was (and still is) flexible enough as an energy source to be usable in just about any situation. To that end, the trade of the professional electrician was born. Experts in this field are trained to install, repair and maintain this now vast electrical infrastructure we use every day to light our homes, or on our electrical appliances and more.

In the 20th century, electrical engineering advanced into research and technology, further specialising the field into areas such as electronic engineering and electrical engineering. In electrical engineering, the focus is on small-scale electrical systems like small circuits, computers, and so on. In the second field, electrical engineering, the focus is on large-scale electrical systems such as electrical networks, and power systems, etc.

As the 20th century progressed, this led to even more specialisation, such as specific appliance repair due to the introduction of the television. By the end of the 20th century, the field of the electrician had split into three areas of specialisation, including domestic, commercial and industrial. Each of these specific types of electrician had to learn specific skills so as to install, repair, maintain and test electronic and electrical equipment to ensure that it was both safe and that it functioned properly.

Safety, especially, remains an important focus of the electrician's trade, since everyone is at risk in the event of failure or malfunction. That includes the electrician, of course, but also all of those around these types of appliances and systems, since electric shock is a constant worry. To meet this need, portable appliance testing has become common place.

The future of the electrician industry

It's estimated that there is a shortage of trained and qualified electricians at present, so this is a wonderful and high demand field to get into. In addition, other devices that use electricity as energy are being developed that will need further specialisation, such as the electric car. Therefore, the future of the electrician appears secure, indeed.