Introducing <I>Modern Building Services’</i> sponsored student
Supporting the future of the building-services industry — Modern Building Services is supporting CIBSE’s Student Bursary Scheme with an award for Adam Beales (centre), an MSc student at London’s South Bank University. He is pictured with editor Ken Sharpe and CIBSE’s Louise Enslin, who looks after the scheme.
With the building-services industry continually faced with a chronic shortage of graduate engineers, CIBSE launched its Student Bursary Scheme three years ago. It provides a means for companies and organisations in the industry to do their bit for the future of the industry — including
Modern Building Services.Following the announcement in the October 2006 issue that Modern Building Services was to support the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers’ Student Bursary Scheme, we are pleased to announce the name of ‘our’ student. He is Adam Beales, who is taking an MSc course in building-services engineering at London’s South Bank University. He is one of five students at South Bank to receive a CIBSE Student Bursary. Adam is a mature student and has recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bath. His path into the building-services sector will surely strike a familiar chord with many people in the industry. Adam perceives his skills as design and problem solving, and it was while he was investigating career prospects during his final year at the University of Bath that he kept hearing of opportunities in building-services engineering. ‘All the way throughout my degree course at Bath University,’ he tells us, ‘I had never heard of building-services engineering. Suddenly, when I was looking for jobs as a design engineer, I kept having opportunities in building-services engineering thrown at me.’
First insight His first insight into the industry came on an assessment day at Metronet, with opportunities in London, where he has always lived. He originally fancied aerospace engineering, prompted by a long-standing interest in flying model aircraft. ‘I have always loved cars and aeroplanes and consider myself very much a hands-on person. I have been national champion a couple of times flying model aircraft of my own design and making.’ Previous experience in a technical environment includes working as a technical author for a company owned by Boeing. To add to his engineering expertise, Adam applied for an MSC course at South Bank, where Gordon Lowrie is the course director. The wide-ranging course includes building-services engineering, research methods, business management, engineering in buildings and the utilisation of energy resource their economics.
 |
| |
The CIBSE Student Bursary Scheme originated in the north east of England three years ago to support the course at the University of Northumbria. Brett Hunter, chairman of CIBSE’s north east region at the time, said, ‘The decline in the numbers of building-services students is a long-term problem. In the short term, this scheme will provide a real incentive for prospective students to consider choosing building-services as their career. Employment prospects are very bright, and we are determined to do what we can to ensure that building-services courses continue at Northumbria University.’ The bursary scheme also enjoys the support of CIBSE Patrons. The AG Manly Trust sponsors students at South Bank, and the Worshipful company of Fan Makers has made a bursary available.
Active interest Recipients of bursaries are encouraged to become CIBSE members and take an active interest in the industry. Adam visited us at the recent RAC07 and H&V07 exhibitions at the National Exhibition Centre and was delighted to be able to visit seminar sessions and discuss with exhibitors products and concepts on show — especially the growing amount of equipment exploiting renewable energy such as heat pumps, solar thermal and biomass. Helping support the future of the industry by sponsoring a CIBSE Student Bursary is simple. Simply contact Louise Enslin at CIBSE (Tel. 020 8675 5211). You will be given the opportunity to sponsor a bursary at one of the universities around the UK that offer building-services courses, and CIBSE will liaise with that university. Nine universities offer CIBSE-accredited degree courses in building-services engineering. • London South Bank University
• University of Nottingham
• Northumbria University
• The University of Manchester
• University of Ulster
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Heriot-Watt University
• University of Strathclyde
• University of Glamorgan Ken Sharpe, editor of
Modern Building Services, says, ‘We hope that our commitment will encourage companies of all kinds in the building-services industry to add their support to the CIBSE student-bursary scheme and thus contribute to the future development of the building-services industry — especially in these exciting times of the skills of building-services engineers having a vital role to play in helping to meet the Government’s targets for reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.’
Related articles:
