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Sector Outlook
The building services sector plays an important role in making buildings safe and
comfortable. The industry is wide ranging and offers job opportunities in energy supplies,
heating and ventilation, plumbing and drainage, lighting, escalator and lift maintenance,
ventilation and refrigeration, the harnessing of renewable energy sources, communications,
security and alarms, fire prevention, air conditioning and facade engineering.
You can find work with consultancy firms, multidisciplinary construction companies, house
building firms, educational institutions, local authorities, hospitals and care homes. With
experience you could even consider going self-employed.
To find a job opportunity that’s right for you search online at
Building4Jobs.com, Building
Services Jobs, The Career Engineer, CIBSE Journal Jobs and Modern Building Services.
Vacancies also appear in local and national newspapers. If you want to work for a consultancy
firm, however, you will have more success if you submit a speculative application.
Recruitment agencies such as Hays Building Services are worth contacting and the
Recruitment and Employment Confederation is a good source of others. Useful career
information can be found on the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
(CIBSE) website at
www.cibse.org.
Overall, building services engineers are in demand across the UK at all levels. Given the
diverse nature of the industry, qualifications and experience in a variety of work related
areas are welcomed by many employers. Skills such as organising, project management
and effective communication are par ticularly impor tant because you will be working as
par t of a multidisciplinary team.
Keep a look out for new and exciting job oppor tunities in the sector linked to renewable
energy, sustainability, low carbon technologies and energy management. If you are keen
to study environmental and ear th science subjects at university then you would find an
increasing number of job oppor tunities available to you in the building servicers sector.
Employers also favour apprenticeships as a means of ensuring a high standard of work
based training. On completion of your training you will have a good chance of remaining
with your employer because of your proven track record. Oppor tunities for progression
will then be available to you. A good next step is to log on to the Apprenticeship website
(www.apprenticeships.gov.uk)so you can star t your search for suitable vacancies.
Building Service Engineering