As anyone in the trade will tell you, becoming a locksmith is no golden ticket to getting rich quick, but it can provide a good income even in the most straightened of economic times. Unlike other trades such as building, locksmithing is relatively unaffected by economic peaks and troughs – people have always locked themselves out and needed rescuing, and probably always will!

Many experienced builders, carpenters, and handymen have seen their businesses struggle in the last year or so. The property bubble that lasted through most of the 2000s has well and truly burst, and consequently there has been a lack of investment in building new homes and renovating existing ones.

It’s tough on tradesmen and women who have worked hard and built up their skills over the years, and now see their livelihood slipping away. Worse still, there’s no relief on the immediate horizon, as our economy continues to grow only sluggishly, with experts suggesting it will take years for us to get back to where we were before the financial crash in 2008.

Fortunately, there are options out there for struggling tradespeople. Those with a strong work ethic, a good problem solving mind and a head for business can thrive in another, more favourable trade such as locksmithing. It goes without saying there are many transferable skills in such cases, and the prior experience of handling tools and working to a specific timetable means that people from other trades often find they are able to learn locksmithing skills much faster than those who have never worked in a trade before.

So how does someone from another trade go about becoming a locksmith? The first stage will be to sign up to a locksmith training course. You can register on introductory courses which are around four days in duration, and will give you a basic understanding and working knowledge of the profession.

No qualifications are needed, and you will likely meet applicants from all walks of life – young college leavers, migrants from the EU, and other professionals planning a career change. Prices can start at less than £1000 for an entire starter course, and you can then opt to do further courses for a more advanced understanding of locksmithing and its many challenges.

Once you have completed a course, you will then have to start looking for work. You have a couple of options, one of which is to set yourself up as a lone operator with your own business. Obviously if you already have your own van from your previous trade then you will have a bit of a headstart in this respect, as having transport is vital for a locksmith’s work.

Another option is to get a job working for an established locksmith company. This has the benefits of a secure, steady wage and none of the worries of trying to administrate your own business. Other advantages include the possibility of flexible hours and technical support to back you up while you are out working.

Some of the larger locksmith companies run their own training courses, from which they directly recruit new locksmiths. This means that if you excel in your training, you could be offered employment immediately after finishing the course.

So remember, tradespeople need not feel trapped in their occupation if it is no longer paying the bills. There are cost-effective training courses out there for skills like locksmithing, which have proven successful in getting hard-working, driven individuals on the path towards a fresh, rewarding career in a new field.

Keytek Locksmith Training Academy offers flexible locksmith courses for both beginners and advanced learners.  Visit the Academy website for more information on locksmith training.

Keytek Locksmith Training Academy offers flexible locksmith courses for both beginners and advanced learners.