Are you... 16 to 18 years old?
Doing your GCSE's or your AS & A Levels?
Thinking about a career in engineering - but not really sure what's out there or what your option are? Enter below for help and advice:
The CIBSE team hope that this is going to be the MOST useful page our website for our young members! We have put everything that you would need to know about a career in Building Services from where to begin your career- to where you could end up! You have embarked on very sort- after and exciting career- as a Building Services Engineer you will be involved at the cutting edge of new technology where intelligent buildings already use their own integrated control systems to adjust conditions inside to the most comfortable and economical levels. If you are concerned about climate change, building services engineering will give you the chance to choose and implement the environmentally friendly energy systems which can substantially reduce carbon emissions. Today, buildings account for nearly half of the total carbon released into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels. But there is a different way. Building services engineers can use energy from renewable sources. Fuel efficient systems are constantly being developed and improved. As a building services engineer it will be up to you to specify the most energy efficient solutions to meet your clients' needs, and to advise them on optimum use of the systems you have provided, so that energy savings continue to be made into the future. In fact, designs for the carbon-neutral house already exist. But construction professionals need to put these designs into action. In the coming decades, no other career will give you the chance to make such a big impact on saving our planet. What is a Building Services Engineers? And what do they do?
Imagine yourself in the most fabulous building in the world. Now take away the lighting, heating and ventilation, the lifts and escalators, acoustics, plumbing, power supply and energy management systems, the security and safety systems...and you are left with a cold, dark, uninhabitable shell. Everything inside a building which makes it safe and comfortable to be in comes under the title of 'Building services'. A building must do what it was designed to do - not just provide shelter but also be an environment where people can live, work and achieve.
Building services are what makes a building come to life. They include: 
* Energy supply - gas , electricity and renewable sources
* Heating and air conditioning
* Water , drainage and plumbing
* Natural and artificial lighting, and building facades
* Escalators and lifts
* Ventilation and refrigeration
* Communication lines, telephones and IT networks
* Security and alarm systems
* Fire detection and protection
In every place that you see these services...building services engineers have designed, installed and maintain them in working order. Imagine the air filtration systems you'd need in a forensic laboratory. The heating controls in a special care baby unit? How to control bacteria and humidity in an operating theatre? What about security systems at the headquarters of MI5? Lighting the new Wembley Stadium? Coping with a power cut in a 45 storey office block? This is everyday work for a building services engineer.  Try your hand at this SummitSkills careers game and experience a day in the life of a building services engineer, making 'real' decisions that impact on costs and the environment. You will navigate through a fantasy holiday village, testing your skills and knowledge along the way on issues relating to building services engineering, sustainability and renewables. Click the image to launch the game
Why become a Building Services Engineer?
Variety is the spice of life!
No career in the world offers more variety. Sometimes you will be working on a highly sensitive environment like a forensic laboratory or a chemical engineering plant. Another day you’ll be designing services for a small nursery school or a vast hypermarket.
Different every day…it’s no office job!
If you don’t fancy being stuck in an office all day, consider this typical working week for a building services engineer. It could include site visits to see how your designs are working in practice spend time with a manufacturer to learn about new products and components brief a new client about how low carbon technologies can benefit their business a scoping study - early planning with architects at a new site where construction has not yet begun a presentation to potential clients of what your firm can offer
helping an installation team on site handover of a completed project, in a brand new building manage the operation and maintenance of building services in a completed facility advise the government about new law and regulations to curb carbon emissions use the latest software packages to solve engineering problems, using design, modelling and visualisation.
Just think!
Your next project could be in a 900 year old listed building like the Tower of London, where you will need to install efficient but invisible services which leave ancient structures intact. Building services engineers also work in domestic housing, taking account of psychological aspects to design user-friendly systems which are energy efficient and make people feel at ease. The job can offer a unique combination of technical planning and design work together with hands-on installation and problem solving.
What is a typical day for a Building Services Engineer?
If you don't fancy being stuck in an office all day, consider this typical working week for a building services engineer.
It could include :
* site visits to see how your designs are working in practice
* spend time with a manufacturer to learn about new products and components
* brief a new client about how low carbon technologies can benefit their business
* a scoping study - early planning with architects at a new site where construction has not yet begun
* a presentation to potential clients of what your firm can offer
* helping an installation team on site
* handover of a completed project, in a brand new building
* manage the operation and maintenance of building services in a completed facility
* advise the government about new law and regulations to curb carbon emissions
* use the latest software packages to solve engineering problems, using design, modelling and visualisation.
Watch gooddays short films on 'A day in the life of a Building Services Engineer' see real life young engineers at work and what they really think about their job. Click the image to view the videos
How much do Building Services Engineers earn?
Construction engineering professions are better than almost every other employment area !!
Expect to earn a minimum of around £22k as soon as you graduate.
And as an experienced Chartered Engineer you can expect to be on £50k+ and rising!
Construction and engineering activity is accelerating worldwide, and demand for building services engineers outstrips supply. This means that once you are qualified, it should be easy to find a well paid job just about anywhere. For example, in the UK, where many new projects have started for the London Olympics in 2012.
Go it alone?
Do you want to set up your own business? In many branches of building services engineering you really can be your own boss. Many building services engineers work for huge international companies that are household names. But many others work in small partnerships of two to a dozen practitioners, specialising in building services design, operation and maintenance, installation or in one particular aspect like lighting, fire safety or building automation. Your skills will be valued worldwide.
How does being a member of CIBSE help my career in Building Services?
As a CIBSE member you can build yourself a truly international career - our members work in all corners of the globe! Read our Benefits of joining CIBSE for more information, and CIBSE membership for information on joining!
So now what?
So now you've read all about Building Service Engineering...and you're still here reading this article! You must be thinking how do I get started? Read on...
How to get started
Click the image to see a PDF version of the SummitSkills Building Services Engineering career map- Map your way to becoming a chartered engineer!
For more information visit the SummitSkills website at www.summitskills.org.uk or goodday at www.goodday.org.uk or e-mail Amber Perry for a CIBSE career fact sheet pack at
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