INDUSTRY COMMENT School’s out – what’s the next step
With exams giving way to the summer holidays, BCIA President Graeme Rees offers some career advice for school leavers unsure of their next move.
I
t’s school holiday time and for those aged 16 to 18 that means the end of school exams and a look ahead to what career path they want to follow. Some will go on to further education, others may already have a job lined up, while others may still be unsure what their next step is. It’s perfectly normal, of course, to not have a definitive idea of what you want to spend your life doing and it is a daunting time for anyone at that age. In times past there has perhaps been too much emphasis on getting people into university to earn a degree. However, times have moved on and the good news is that the choice of options and opportunities is broader than it has ever been. Results time is a very stressful time for young people and parents alike, and not everybody will get the results they need for their first choice option. Second choice, though, does not have to mean second rate and, whilst we would ideally like building controls to be a first choice, a BEMS apprenticeship can equally provide a terrific back up if the desired exam results are not quite met. So here it is, my unashamed plug for pursuing a career in the building controls industry, with reference to some very talented individuals who are flying the torch for an impressive pool of talent emerging in this exciting sector. When Abbie Bewley, Vice-Chair of the BCIA’s
Young Engineers Network (YEN), became the latest winner of the BCIA’s Young Engineer of the Year award, she followed in the footsteps of Greg Smith, who won the award in 2018. Abbie is currently in her final year of studying for a Mechanical Engineering degree and is
also a Trainee Controls Engineer with InTandem Systems. As part of her entry to the awards Abbie described how on one major project, at a national theatre, she had to take the lead due to the maintenance engineer being incapacitated and helped tune the systems to improve energy efficiency, carrying out routine checking of field control devices to ensure correct operation. Her employer highlighted Abbie’s enthusiasm to proactively promote BEMS to a wider audience through her involvement with the university’s employability team, as well as her attention to detail, work ethic, dedication and communications skills. At university she has been actively involved
in promoting student placements with a focus on increasing awareness of building controls. In addition to academic excellence Abbie has demonstrated throughout the course, she has also been active as the Course Representative and Student Ambassador, getting involved in a number of extracurricular and outreach activities.
Double whammy
Rob Drysdale completed a double whammy for InTandem Systems when he was named BCIA’s Apprentice of the Year. Rob is on the Level 4 BEMS Controls Engineer Apprenticeship delivered by Group Horizon and started his apprenticeship by looking forward at the knowledge/skills that would be required and requested that he start gaining practical experience of the various competence areas covered later on the course so that he could make the most out of the future content delivery. He particularly focused on control panel planning/manufacture/testing as he realised that this is becoming a scarce skill for
the industry and one that is essential for BEMS control engineers in small businesses where you need all-round knowledge/skills. As a result of this commitment he can now interpret layout drawings, design panel backplate/door layout, manufacture panels to a high standard with minimal supervision and carry out final testing. Both Abbie and Rob were victorious amongst some very strong competition so should be very proud of themselves. The Apprentice was new for this year but previous winners of the Young Engineer award have continued to lead outstanding careers as engineers and it is fantastic news for the building controls industry that we have people of Abbie and Rob’s calibre coming through.
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