GUIDE · FOR UK SOLAR INSTALLERS · 10 MIN READ

How to Become a Solar Installer: Courses, Qualifications and Training in the UK

An impartial route guide: we don't run training. Every qualification, code and figure comes from the sources listed at the end.

The solar PV qualifications compared

Whatever a provider calls its solar PV course or solar installer training, you're usually buying one of these regulated awards, delivered by an approved centre. Names and codes are as each awarding body publishes them.

City & Guilds says its award is aligned with MCS requirements; LCL Awards and BPEC say theirs are recognised by MCS. One catch: MIS 3002 still names City & Guilds' older 2399-11 and 2399-12 awards, while City & Guilds now lists 2922-34, so check with your MCS certification body.

Route A: qualified electricians adding solar

The route the awards are designed for: City & Guilds calls its award CPD for qualified electricians.

1. 1

   Check you meet the entry requirements

   Have your BS 7671 (18th Edition) certificate and Level 3 electrotechnical qualification or ECS Gold Card ready. Some centres ask for more: Wiltshire College also wants an inspection and verification qualification or competent person scheme status.

2. 2

   Pick the award and a centre

   All three awarding bodies say their awards are MCS-aligned or recognised. Choose on dates, location and practical facilities.

3. 3

   Add battery storage if you'll sell it

   LCL Awards runs a separate Level 3 Award in the Design, Installation and Commissioning of Electrical Energy Storage Systems (16 guided learning hours).

4. 4

   Get your scheme memberships in order

   Make sure your competent person scheme covers the work you'll notify, and decide whether the business will go for MCS certification.

5. 5

   Build real experience

   One entry-level award doesn't prove competence for every situation (MCS), so work alongside experienced installers before taking on complex jobs.

Route B: new to the trade

No short course takes you from nothing to installing solar PV. The awards assume you're an electrician, so build that base first.

• Electrical apprenticeship. The National Careers Service lists the Installation and Maintenance Electrician advanced (Level 3) apprenticeship, usually asking for 5 GCSEs at 9 to 4 including English and maths, and a Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship in Building Services Engineering with no set entry requirements. On Skills England the electrician standard is ST0152.
• College. Electrical installation courses or the T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction. The National Careers Service says you'll usually need an electrical qualification to work as an installer.
• Work your way in. Start as an installation labourer with a qualified team and train on the job. You'll need a CSCS card to work on construction sites, per the National Careers Service.

Once qualified, take a Level 3 solar PV award as in Route A. The National Careers Service's solar panel installer profile gives £25,000 a year for a starter and £47,000 experienced, on 40 to 45 hours a week.

How to find an approved training centre

Awarding bodies write the qualification; approved colleges and private trainers deliver it. Start from the awarding body's finder so you know the centre is approved.

Ask which award the centre delivers, the entry evidence it wants, how the practical is run and the full fee. Fees vary: Wiltshire College listed the LCL Level 3 award as 3 days at £605 when we checked.

What MCS asks for

A course certificate is not MCS certification. MCS certifies the business, not the person, through an approved certification body. The business names a Main Contact, a Licensee and a Technical Supervisor, who signs off each installation. For solar PV and battery storage the scheme covers systems up to 50kW.

MIS 3002 (Issue 5.0, section 8) says everyone designing or installing must be “competent, skilled or instructed”, with training records kept. Its Appendix A lists the Level 3 solar PV awards as entry-level qualifications that “may be deemed as suitable for simple non-complex systems”.

For the application, certification bodies and costs, see our MCS certification guide for solar installers. For what the standard itself requires on design, installation and handover, read MIS 3002 explained for solar PV installers.

Part P and competent person schemes (England)

In England, electrical work in homes falls under Part P of the Building Regulations; Approved Document P explains when work must be notified. A competent person scheme lets you self-certify instead of using building control, and GOV.UK lists schemes for electrical work in dwellings and, separately, for microgeneration including solar PV.

MIS 3002 builds this in: you must make clear to the customer who is responsible for notification, complete it before handover if it's yours, and self-certify only through a scheme authorised for that scope of work. The GOV.UK pages above cover England; check the rules separately for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The grid connection is a separate duty. MIS 3002 requires you to follow G98 notification for systems up to 16A per phase and G99 above that; our guides to the DNO application for solar and the G99 application for commercial solar walk through both.

Working at height and site safety

Solar PV is roof work. The solar awards focus on the electrical, design and commissioning side, so check what a course covers on access and roof safety and plan separate training where you need it. HSE's guidance is blunt:

• The main causes of death and injury on roofs are falls from edges or openings, through fragile roofs and through fragile rooflights (HSE).
• Falls through fragile surfaces, particularly fibre-cement roofs and rooflights, account for 22% of fall-from-height deaths in construction (HSE).
• Treat every roof as fragile until a competent person has confirmed it is not (HSE).
• The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require work to be planned, supervised and done by competent people, with a risk assessment and the right equipment (HSE).
• MIS 3002 requires the roof structure to be checked by a suitably competent person for the loads of the PV system, and a qualified structural engineer to be consulted where the roof is unusual or there is any doubt.

HSE's roof work page also points to CITB guidance on solar panel installation. On commercial jobs, roof structure, access and fragile rooflights belong in the survey, not the install day; our commercial solar survey checklist covers what to record.

From installer to running your own solar business

Many installers start on someone else's team and go out on their own later. At a high level, the extra pieces are:

• Structure. Sole trader or limited company; GOV.UK explains the difference in liability. Take accountancy advice.
• Insurance. Once you employ anyone, employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million is compulsory, and GOV.UK says you can be fined £2,500 for every day you're not properly insured. Check what other cover your certification body expects.
• Certification. MCS and a competent person scheme, as above.
• Tools and supply. Design and yield software, and trade accounts. Compare solar design software for UK installers and UK solar wholesalers and distributors.
• Selling. Surveys, proposals and follow-up; our guide on how to sell commercial solar covers the commercial side.

Getting commercial work once you're established

Commercial roofs mean a business owner, a G99 application and a proposal built on the site's consumption. Our guide on how to get commercial solar leads compares nine channels, and solar leads UK: booked surveys, not form fills explains what to look for.

Solar Surveys UK books qualified commercial solar survey appointments with business owners for UK installers. You pay per booked appointment, with no retainer, from £400+VAT to £1,000+VAT per lead depending on system size (see how much commercial solar leads cost).

Becoming a solar installer: FAQ