What is Part P?
Part P is just one of a series of new building regulations that the UK government introduced on 1st Jan 2005, the new regulations go from Part A,B,C,D... to Part P with Part P being of most interest to people who have to install electrical work in domestic houses.
Part P regulations state that if electrical work is carried out in a dwelling you must notify the local building authority, who will send a qualified person who will assess if it meets safety standards, the exception to this rule is that if the work is carried out by a “competent person” they can sign off on their own work without having to notify the local building authorities. You will be judged a competent person once you have registered on the Part P scheme.
To be able to register on the Part P scheme you must be able to demonstrate competency to work safely, efficiently and legally on domestic electrical equipment, you do this by being assessed by a governing body assessor, who you will have to prove that you have the required electrical installation skills and knowledge and relevant qualifications to meet the schemes requirements.
You can register with any of the 5 governing bodies of the Part P scheme:
If you would like to read the governments Part P document in full here is a link to the PDF document:Part P
Do you need Part P?
Well if you want to become an electrician and be able to undertake most electrical work in a home without asking the local building authority to come around and check if you've done it right (and pay them to come out and do so) then yes, you most certainly do.
How to qualify for the Part P certificate?
If you are thinking about training to become an electrician by taking one of the intensive full time electricians courses that are available around the country, it is highly likely that there is a Part P module already included as part of the course, which would enable you to meet the required standards to be accepted on the Part P scheme. ( check with your training provider to make sure)
If you are already working as an electrician but want to get Part P certified you could also take the Part P section of these courses separately as a short course, if you want to refresh your knowledge of latest industry best practice.
