City & Guilds 5357: Level 3 Electrotechnical Qualification (Apprenticeship Standard) — Complete 2026 Guide

City & Guilds 5357 is a Level 3 qualification awarded by City & Guilds and regulated by Ofqual. It is the technical qualification inside the government-approved electrical apprenticeship, so it is what most new starters since 2018 are enrolled on. It typically runs 3-4 years while you are employed and paid.

The qualification is built around 15 units. Each covers a distinct theme — health and safety, electrical science, installation, fault diagnosis, inspection and testing, design — and combines theory assessment with practical workshop observation. Below is every unit with a direct link to its full revision page.

Tap any unit to open its full revision page — every topic point, exam tips, a 5-step study plan, and the Elec-Mate practice tools mapped to that unit. The bracketed figure is the number of topic points you are examined on.

1. Unit 022 — Understand the Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671 (17 topic points).
2. Unit 101/001 — Understand Health, Safety and Environmental Considerations (26 topic points).
3. Unit 102 — Apply Health, Safety and Environmental Considerations (14 topic points).
4. Unit 103/003 — Electrical Scientific Principles and Technologies (47 topic points).
5. Unit 104/004 — Understand Design and Installation Practices and Procedures (45 topic points).
6. Unit 105/505 — Understand How to Plan and Oversee Electrical Work Activities (17 topic points).
7. Unit 106 — Organise and Oversee the Electrical Work Environment (18 topic points).
8. Unit 107 — Understand Terminations and Connections of Conductors (7 topic points).
9. Unit 109 — Apply Design and Installation Practices and Procedures (13 topic points).
10. Unit 110 — Apply Practices and Procedures for Maintenance (22 topic points).
11. Unit 113 — Inspect, Test and Commission Electrical Systems (12 topic points).
12. Unit 114/014 — Understand Fault Diagnosis and Rectification (21 topic points).
13. Unit 115 — Apply Fault Diagnosis and Rectification (18 topic points).
14. Unit 118 — Termination and Connection of Conductors (7 topic points).
15. Unit 312/212 — Inspection, Testing and Commissioning (56 topic points).

Each unit carries its own assessment — typically a mix of online multiple-choice exams, written short-answer papers, and practical workshop tasks observed by your tutor or assessor. Those unit results are the gateway: every unit has to be passed before you go forward to the end-point.

The end-point assessment is run by NET. Under the current plan (ST0152 v1.2) it has three parts, each pass or fail: the AM2S practical (17 hours over no more than 3 working days, sat away from your normal workplace), an online knowledge test (45 questions in 90 minutes) and your behaviours, confirmed by your employer. The practical rewards speed and accuracy on things you have already done a hundred times on site, not last-minute theory cramming. See the electrician apprenticeship EPA guide.

Plan revision unit by unit using the linked pages above. Each gives you the topic checklist, the mistakes that cost marks, and a 5-step revision plan. For the end-point itself, start with the AM2 exam tips guide.

Passing every unit and the AM2 makes you a qualified electrician. In JIB terms that is the Electrician grade, evidenced by an ECS Gold Card. Approved Electrician is a separate, higher grade you apply for later — under the SJIB grading definitions it needs two years’ experience as a graded Electrician plus an advanced competence assessment before it is issued, so it is not something the qualification hands you on day one.

These are the JIB national standard hourly rates that took effect on 5 January 2026, on the transport-provided column. Own-transport and shop-employed rates differ, and London has its own separate, higher table.

Being qualified also opens the door to competent person scheme registration (NICEIC, NAPIT and others). That registration is what allows notifiable domestic work to be self-certified under Part P in England and Wales. Note that the registration is held by the business rather than by you personally, and the scheme assesses a nominated qualified supervisor. See the ECS Gold Card requirements guide for the application route.

Funding differs by nation. In England, an employer that pays the Apprenticeship Levy funds the training from its levy account. For starts from 1 August 2026, an employer that does not pay the levy pays nothing for an apprentice aged 16 to 24 at the start, and 5% for one aged 25 or over with government paying the other 95% (DfE funding rules 2026 to 2027, rules 213 to 214). Either way, the apprentice pays nothing towards training. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own apprenticeship funding systems.

Rates, age bands and eligibility change with each funding year, so confirm the current position with your training provider before you enrol rather than relying on a figure you read online.

The Elec-Mate apprentice tier covers every unit in City & Guilds 5357 with mock exams, flashcards, revision notes, and off-the-job training hour tracking. Tutors get a dashboard showing every apprentice’s progress in real time.