Can you still make a career as an electrician if you are colour blind so can't register with JIB

[Springup24]

I appreciate this is quite a specialist question!

I get different answers from different people, so wondered if anyone has any actual experience where they or a family member is an electrician who is not JIB registered but still gets plenty of work? Or definitely not.

Although he is colour blind and fails the ishihara test, he can see different wire colours in real life. And has been working as an electricians mate on a weekend with no difficulties.

But this would mean he wouldn't be able to register with JIB down the line.

I suppose it depends what kind of colour blindness he has, my DS has red/green colour blindness and was told by his Optometrist that he couldn't be an electrician.

I have a friend who is colour blind and has been an electrician all his life. He ran his own business and must have been correctly registered. He managed fine.

DP said he found out first day of class about the colour issue and had already paid half so stuck it out. He made it through and worked a few years, city and guilds, nvq and gold card, registered with JIB. He didn't do an apprenticeship though- which may have a medical. He worked as a mate and worked his way up doing his portfolio. Only asked once on a job site and as he also can't pass the test was told he couldn't drive the scissor lift or to be careful, can't recall. This was around 2016/17 although he doesn't work in it now

There are glasses that correct this now I think,I don't know if you'd be allowed to qualify with them though.

Thanks! I was hoping he could use the special glasses but they're not allowed as part of the JIB assessment. Annoying but understandable, I guess.

The information I'm reading says you can't register with JIB if you're colour blind. But that some domestic installers go self employed and then noone really knows. I guess many homeowners don't look to check JIB registration. I'd certainly not heard of it till now. But to get a job in a big company, it would probably rule that out.

He has his heart set on being an electrician now, and the company he helps out at don't seem bothered about the technicalities. But maybe the HR team would be, further down the line.

There's one more specialist colour blind test he can attempt to pass, but the bar is high to pass. Aargh.

@lugolthis is the worry! It is red green colour blind as far as I know.

My son had to take a colour blindness test before starting his electrical installation course.

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Things might have changed now, DS was 14 when XH realised after watching a football match that he didn't see the players on the pitch the same due to the strip they were wearing (red on a green pitch) and as PP says they have glasses now which can correct this.
An eye test gave us the answers and he was told he couldn't be an electrician, a pilot or in bomb disposal (that last one made me laugh at the time!)

I hope your DS can still be an electrician, it sounds like he's good at it. 💐