Equipping building-services engineers for the future

PEPPER
Making the most of training and development — David Pepper.

The introduction of two new Advanced Diplomas for engineering and the built environment prompts David Pepper to stress the importance of continuous training for building-services engineers in helping society become a more energy efficient.

Even with the current economic climate in the UK, building-services engineers continue to play an important part in new build and an increasing number of retrofit projects. This does not mean to say the industry is not facing challenges, but perhaps the necessity of the role has the potential to become even more important with the increasing use of renewable technologies.

Awareness of new technologies, such as solar, biofuel and heat pumps, has generated a great deal of interest from end-users. However, the application of such technologies and integration with more traditional systems requires a great deal of consideration if renewable solutions are to be as effective as hoped. The knowledge, skills and expertise provided by building-services engineers are crucial to the future of the construction industry and the desired reduction in carbon emissions.

It is therefore encouraging to see two new Advanced Diplomas, one for Construction & the Built Environment and the other for Engineering, being introduced. The future of our industry relies upon a good range of courses being available for young building-services engineers to gain the new and additional skills they need to progress. Also, it is appropriate for those who are already employed and have experience to improve their skills or branch out to different aspects of building services, making them a more marketable candidate for alternative and higher level positions.

A more in-depth knowledge and understanding is required by advanced diplomas, which is a more specialised qualification — so the introduction of these courses is likely to strengthen industry expertise. A good range of courses at different levels will again help the careers for building-services engineers as they can continually look for ways to improve their existing skills at a higher grade.

It is also important for contracting companies to recognise the necessity to keep engineers in training — refreshing and adding to their knowledge base. The recession may have caused some businesses to cut back on this area of spending, but it is actually a good time to invest. When the economic climate recovers and there are more building projects, having competent and highly skilled building-services engineers will ensure companies are well placed to meet the increasing level of demand and will be fully capable of completing any potential projects.

Not only does investing in training employees improve a company’s ability to fulfil contracts but supporting staff is great for morale, which is especially important during tough market conditions. Feeling they work for a company that is continually investing in training gives employees more faith in the company for which they work and represent. This in turn leads to a more motivated and productive team. A recent survey carried out by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found that 76% of business leaders believe the principal benefit of investing in training is improved staff morale, while 74% also found a key advantage to be improved productivity.

Although the introduction of these courses is a positive sign for the industry, there are further challenges facing both experienced and trainee building-services engineers. As the bid to become a more energy-efficient society continues, more specialised training will have to follow suit.

Equipment manufacturers inevitably have a part to play, and, for example, most manufacturers of boilers and water heaters now offer renewable packages. Training is also being introduced in line with this, supporting the changing needs of the building sector. For example, Lochinvar offers CIBSE accredited CPD seminars, including the integration of solar thermal and direct gas-fired hot-water heaters. Perhaps not surprisingly, this is currently our most popular CPD seminar.

 

For anyone involved in the building-services industry, the most important message to be remembered is to make the most of opportunities such as training and development. Even though the industry does provide a good sense of job security, in the knowledge that building-services engineers will always be required, this does not mean anyone should become complacent. The industry should always be ready to face any challenges head on and continually build on the expertise of those employed and training for these important roles.

David Pepper is managing director of Lochinvar.

 

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