As hundreds of thousands of students collect their A-level results today, one apprentice electrician says he has no regrets about turning down university for a trade – and insists the earning potential took him by surprise.
Demis Swallow, an apprentice at London-based Doctor Electric, told GB News that earning while he learned had appealed to him more than heading off to university.
"Before I started, I knew you could make a decent living from a trade, but I didn't realise quite how much potential there was," he said.
"Seeing that some sole traders are running businesses bringing in over £100,000 a year has definitely changed my expectations."
His boss, Doctor Electric founder Dean Griffin, said demand for skilled tradespeople has never been stronger but that finding enough people to meet it remains a constant struggle.
"Demand definitely feels stronger than when I first started," Mr Griffin told GB News. "There's plenty of work out there, but one of the biggest challenges is finding enough skilled people to meet that demand."
It comes amid weakening graduate recruitment, university tuition fees approaching £10,000 a year, and growing unease about the impact of artificial intelligence on traditional office-based careers.
Mr Swallow said AI was not the main reason behind his decision, but that it had reassured him he had chosen the right path.
"AI wasn't really the main reason I chose an apprenticeship," he said.
"But with AI changing some office jobs, I'm glad I chose a career where those practical skills will always be needed."
He added that the job had surprised him in another way, too: how much of it now revolves around technology rather than tools alone.
"What's surprised me most is how much technology is part of the job," Mr Swallow said. "You're also using software to manage jobs, schedules, quotes and invoices.
"It's shown me that being a successful electrician is about understanding the business side as well as the trade."
Mr Griffin said that shortage of skilled workers is already limiting how much work his business can take on, and argued the pipeline of new tradespeople needs urgent attention.
"You can already feel the shortage," he said. "There's plenty of demand for the work, but finding good, skilled people isn't always easy.
"That can limit how much work you're able to take on and puts more pressure on the team you have."
He said schools still present university as the default option, and that apprenticeships need far greater visibility.
"University is still often presented as the obvious next step," Mr Griffin said. "Young people don't always hear enough about what a career in the trades can actually lead to.
"You can earn while you learn, build skills that are in real demand and, with experience, potentially work for yourself or build a business."
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Asked what he would say to a 16 to 18-year-old weighing up their options this results day, Mr Griffin urged them to look beyond the traditional route.
"An apprenticeship lets you earn while you learn, build practical skills that are in demand and start gaining real experience straight away," he said.
"I've seen that potential myself, a trade can open the door to working for yourself and building your own business."
Mr Swallow echoed the message. "Don't feel like university is your only option," he said.
"In the trades, you can earn while you learn, build skills that are always going to be needed and potentially run your own business one day.
"If you're considering it, speak to local tradespeople, look into apprenticeships and try to get some hands-on experience to see if it's right for you."
Their comments come as new data from job-management platform Tradify shows just how lucrative the trades have become.
The research, based on 3,271 UK trade businesses, found average revenues across six major sectors have risen 14 per cent year on year, with sole traders routinely generating six-figure incomes and larger electrical and property-maintenance firms averaging more than £2million.
HVAC and refrigeration businesses recorded the highest average annual revenue across all company sizes, at £428,538, while electrical and audiovisual firms with 13 or more staff averaged £2.09million.
Every trade examined saw solo operators without employees generate more than £100,000 a year on average.
Carpentry and renovations saw the strongest year-on-year growth, up 25 per cent, followed by electrical and audiovisual businesses at 19 per cent.
Property maintenance was the only sector to decline, falling nine per cent.
The figures come as forecasts warn Britain could face a shortfall of almost one million skilled tradespeople by 2032.
Millie Mercedes, founder of Millie Electrician London, said learning a trade gave her "skills that no one can take away", and that she would encourage students collecting results this week to consider vocational routes alongside university.
Tradify chief executive Michael Steckler said the data shows tradespeople "building multi-million-pound businesses, creating jobs and growing successful companies from the ground up," and that trades should be seen not as an alternative to academic success but as another route to financial independence and business ownership.
For Mr Griffin, the message to this year's results-day students is simple: the trades are no longer a fallback option.
"Businesses that combine great practical skills with technology, work efficiently and bring new apprentices into the industry will be in a strong position to take on more work, grow their teams and build successful businesses," he said.
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