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Young Engineer interview

Name: Robert Leach
Age: 22
College attended: City of Bath College, London Southbank University
Course: HNC/HND (completed) BEng (Hons) Building Services Engineering (current)
Job title at Ridge & Partners: Building Services Engineer

1. Why did you choose Building Services as a career?

Building Services isn’t something that most if any people have heard of unless you are in the industry related to it in some way, shape or form. Most schools don’t really expose you to the potential possibilities of a career within the building services industry. Therefore it’s hard to find young people involved or to have a related interest within the building services sector.

My first experience within the industry came when I was 17 whilst studying my AS levels. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career so I arranged a week’s work experience with a local Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor. After I had completed the work experience I had then narrowed down my preferred career path to engineering. I then applied to work with the same contractor who recruited me and supported me through an apprenticeship.

I had always possessed an interest into design and how things were made and whilst working as an engineer I became interested in the design engineer’s role and their responsibilities. I then approached my employer to ask about the possibility of becoming a design engineer. They had agreed to send me to college to study a HNC in building services engineering. At this point other than Electrical and Air Conditioning, I had no idea what building services was about and what it could offer me.

While attending college I learned all about heating, ventilation and various other subjects to which my interest grew on these other subjects. Whilst at college and by word of mouth I then learned about the existence of engineering consultants and the roles that were undertaken by them. I then applied to work for my present employer Ridge & Partners as a trainee Building Services Engineer.

I have been with them for 2 and a half years and continue to enjoy the diversity that Building Services brings and the excitement of always having something different to comprehend.

2. Why did you choose Ridge & Partners as an employer?
The reason behind choosing Ridge and partners as an employer was quite a simple one. As young engineers we all want to know that we will be supported, looked after and given the chance to pursue our interests.
My personal choice for choosing Ridge was the feeling that I was going to be part of a team and made to feel important regardless of what my role was going to be. Ridge spoke of sponsorship to attend and support me through University study on a day release basis. This showed to me that they were really encouraging further education and personal progression. Ridge and Partners structured framework to helping all members of staff become chartered engineers, surveyors and architects was also a huge motivation factor for me.
As I am over 2 years on Ridge and Partners have kept their word and pushed me to succeed even more than I could have hoped. As developing young engineers we don’t want to feel worried about asking questions that may seem basic and simple and be worried about the response you will get. I have found that no matter what position different people are in, what job they are doing there is always a feeling that you can openly ask a question and get a response which makes you feel comfortable to ask more. This then helps you gain more confidence and develop quicker.
3. What does your role include at Ridge & Partners? Tell us about a few highlights of your job so far?
When I started at Ridge and Partners I was never fully aware of everything I would be doing and how diverse it would be. My role has included and does include:
• Using AutoCAD to produce detailed designs for building services, including pipe routes and equipment positions etc.
• Carrying out surveys and writing feasibility reports to assess the condition and advise clients of works needing to be undertaken.
• Detailed design of building services systems including heating, hot water and ventilation using traditional methods to understand and enable me to spot any anomalies that may be produced from any SBEM modelling software.
• Carrying out DEC surveys
• Working in different environments requiring a different application including Schools, Hospitals, Police buildings etc.
• Calculating Heat losses, gains etc using theoretical methods and Hevacomp Software.
The list is always growing on roles and responsibilities which are very much like the job where you are experiencing different things all the time.
As a young engineer most of your highlights are related to you achieving something within your employer and the freedom to be able to undertake tasks independently.
For me my highlights were becoming a Licentiate of CIBSE, becoming a DEC qualified Assessor, A Low Carbon Consultant, independently designing building services systems and being able to advise clients on sustainable ideas and reducing their costs. This is all in addition to passing exams at University which is a big achievement to everyone not just young engineers as it takes a lot of personal time and hard work to achieve.

4. What qualifications did you need to get the job at Ridge & Partners?
At the time of Applying for a vacancy at Ridge and Partners I had successfully completed an apprenticeship in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration and also completed my Electrical qualifications I undertook at college during the evenings. I had also just started my HNC in Building Service engineering at The City of Bath College.
As I was applying for a Trainee position an interest and enthusiasm for the job was essential but due to my previous practical engineering skills it was an interest to have a practical perspective on projects.

5. You achieved your Licentiate (LCIBSE/EngTech) grade of membership in November 2009 – Just over one year after you completed your course at Bath. Congratulations! Why did you decide to become qualified?
As my education is ongoing and I am still attending University I can still retain the student CIBSE membership with a fairly reduced cost. But instead, I wanted to become recognised for my experiences and achievements in the workplace. In becoming a Licentiate/ Engineering Technician it’s not only a great achievement but it is also a great experience in preparation for the application process of becoming an Incorporated Engineer and a Chartered Engineer.
I plan to work towards IEng and ACIBSE status with CIBSE within the next year but whether or not you want to take this route, the biggest thing for personal progression and a sense of achievement is by setting yourself goals whether it be on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis. It was my task to become LCIBSE Eng Tech for 2009 which I have achieved and I have other achievements for 2010 which I am currently working towards.

6. How do you feel professional membership (i.e. achieving LCIBSE/EngTech) has benefitted you?
I feel that professional membership has increased my confidence to undertake tasks and to sure up my advisory opinions to clients and possessing professional membership seems to confirm to people that you are competent especially when you are trying to convince clients towards low carbon applications with increased capital cost such as heat pumps, CHP and Biomass.
I also believe that since I have achieved LCIBSE status my employer feels that added responsibility is not a concern and the expectation has increased but so has the appreciation for these tasks.

7. How has CIBSE Membership been useful to you as a student and also a young professional?
Whilst a student member of CIBSE I received the CIBSE Journal and a Data Handbook to which I found were extremely useful. The journal was great for showing the potential that building services projects could be like and new ways of implementing ideas. It was a useful source of information for products and regularly introduced me to products that were superior to previously specified ones. I also feel l that in future the Journal will be an essential tool for CPD as the CPD inside the Journal is relevant and helps you to understand new ideas and principles that I have not approached before.
The Data handbook is also a very useful tool as it saves you time hunting through all the CIBSE guides to find the most common information required.
CIBSE generally has introduced me to new ideas, products and widened my knowledge and increased my ambition to make a difference within the industry.

8. What would be your advice/tips for students completing their BTEC HNC/HND this year who are interested in becoming LCIBSE/EngTech?
Anybody who is considering about becoming an LCIBSE/Eng Tech member of CIBSE, I would encourage to do so as first and foremost it will give you great satisfaction to be recognised for your accomplishments and also to use LCIBSE Eng Tech after your name. It will also help put a strong case to your employers or future employers that you are competent in your work. It does take time and commitment but I found that it was worth it once you get your certificates through the post.

9. You have recently become a Low Carbon Energy Assessor and Air Conditioning Inspector through the CIBSE Energy Centre. Do you think the industry is changing in response to climate change and trying to introduce more sustainable measures?
I feel that the industry is changing and we are forced to change our way of thinking and way of life within the industry to adapt to climate change. Personally I don’t feel that the Air Conditioning inspections are being forced upon enough as the fines for ignorance are minimal to the cost of the inspections themselves. Inspections, DEC’s and EPC’s are a good idea generally for building services as in provides more work for engineers, more work and money within the industry.
Sustainable measures are being introduced and new ideas are coming out of the woodwork all the time, it’s a very exciting time for the industry it’s just a shame it’s being forced upon us with the climate change. As building services engineers can be responsible for the majority of carbon control on the planet, the methods that are being devised to reduce carbon really show how important engineers are and how much reliance is on us to control the carbon and reduce the effects of climate change.

10. What do you hope to achieve over the next 10 years of your career?
Well firstly I hope to complete the BENG degree I am studying towards in 2012, once completed I hope to work my way towards becoming chartered. Once chartered, I would then like to work towards making a difference within the industry and being at the forefront of new innovations.
I would also like to work abroad in places such as America or Australia as I am interested in the way different countries work and how different countries are working towards climate change, hopefully I can play a part in improving the situation within the future.
If you will soon be completing your HNC/HND and already have some experience working in the industry why not check to see if you can qualify for LCIBSE/EngTech? The easiest way to check if you are ready is to read the competencies for this grade click here NOW to find out.

For information on studying options for building services engineering click here.

Engineers Opinion

To read this article and others similar please visit the CIBSE Journal Website.

Headway Down Under
Australia is a rewarding location for environmentally minded young building services engineers. But, says Illina Nanitsos, the profession needs to push the green agenda harder

Australia has in the past been thought of as a country that lags behind the UK and other European countries in discovering new initiatives and technological advances. Today, however, this gap seems to have decreased dramatically as our connections around the globe increase and organisations such as CIBSE provide a ‘real time’ view of technological and sustainable advances in the industry.

Building services in Australia are driven primarily by the industry. Ratings that we use to measure efficiency, such as NABERS and Green Star, have the effect of pushing us further to improve the country’s standards in design. These ratings did not begin as legislative requirements – they were the result of the industry aiming to raise building services quality, efficiency and effectiveness.

The large populations and building-project density in the UK and around Europe give the advantage of being able to test new technologies and green initiatives. At the same time, this concentration creates an inertia that affects the rate at which these fine ideas may be integrated into society.

Australia has the advantage of implementing these ideas at a somewhat faster rate as they filter their way to our side of the globe. Ideas, once grasped, are quickly implemented and, due to our lighter density, each structure that is built creates a huge impact ‘down under’, and helps push our industry forward.
Being an Engineer in Australia has been a great experience for me and many other young engineers that I work with. In the short time that I have worked in the industry, I have learnt not only a fantastic amount about building services design (an am still in awe of how much more there is still to absorb), but I have also become aware of the importance of being a consultant, not just an engineer.

It has been a tremendous learning curve and I feel that I have been fortunate enough to work with consultants who have emigrated from all over the world, each with the knowledge and expertise they have acquired from their own country or through their travels. Unfortunately, it seems that much of the Australian public remains unaware of the ever-changing and expanding green technological advances that persist around the globe, as we strive towards a more sustainable future.

This makes it difficult to recruit young Australian engineers into an industry that has so much to offer.
It is up to engineers in the industry to make others aware of the importance of sustainable development so that we may set in motion an avalanche of ideas that will make the industry and our society develop into the sustainable vision that we strive for.

Creating a sustainable future is everyone’s responsibility. Each person should take a stand to minimise their own carbon footprint and take care that their lifestyle encourages a greener environment. While the bulk of society can separate paper from plastic, shut the lights off when they leave the room, and maybe even buy a Prius, a great burden of responsibility falls on the building services engineer to create designs that promote a high level of sustainability within commercial and residential buildings.

Buildings are part of every society across the globe. It is essential when producing a design that we ultimately become a part of this society that we are not merely conscious of the sustainability issues inherent in the makeup of every building, but we must use our powers of engineering for good instead of evil.

Through the command of our designs we have an obligation to practically minimise the detrimental effect these structures have on our environment.

Illina Nanitsos is a Project Engineer with Steensen Varming (Australia), and President of the CIBSE Young Engineers Network Australia/New Zealand.

Last Year Steensen Varming Australia won the YEN Champions Award. The Award is to recognise companies which are committed to developing and recruiting young engineers. If you work for a supportive company, go to www.cibse.org/yen to find out how you can enter them into the YEN Champions Award for 2010.

To read this article and others similar please visit the CIBSE Journal Website.

Become a BSE ambassador

Who are SummitSkills?

SummitSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the building services engineering sector. They have been created by employers, for employers, to address six key objectives:

Employer engagement
Offering expertise, safeguarding standards
Enhancing quality and delivery
Raising ambition
Effectiveness and evolution
Partnership approach

The employer-led approach of SummitSkills gives businesses in the sector a key role in increasing their own and the country's productivity and profitability. Through the establishment of Sector Skills Councils, employers now have a direct route to influence strategic planning relating to skills and training.

Click here to visit their website to find out more

Become a SummitSkills Building Services Engineer Ambassadors! Isn’t it time someone spoke out for Building Services Engineering?

Well why not let that ‘someone’ be you!

Introducing -The SummitSkills Ambassador Programme!
The programme has been designed for people just like you! Either- qualified engineers working in the industry or students and graduates who have / are studying Building Services and who plan to work in the sector. Using your expertise and knowledge (either from your studies or experience of being employed in the sector) you would promote Building Services Engineering as a potential career in schools, colleges and even Universities to young adults and children of all ages.
You will receive free training, resources and support on how to give presentations, and be given the opportunity to offer mentoring, career guidance or even become a role model to all young people considering a career in BS engineering.
This ambassador scheme is open to all BS engineers or students of all ages, positions, company sizes and experience! It’s a fantastic opportunity to gain new skills, training, confidence and contacts and what a fantastic edge to your CV!
To find out more information on what is involved and how to apply click here or e-mail your query to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Read a case study of a young engineer who is already an ambassador on this scheme- his experinces, thoughts and feelings on the scheme and the benefits that he has enjoyed since becoming an ambassador - click the image to read

For a FREE DVD of more case studies,
information on the ambassador scheme
and a career in Building Services Engineering
send us your address at aperry@cibse. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For Information about the application process of the ambassador scheme click the image

To download a briefing pack that gives you information about the scheme- what's involved and what resources, training and support you would get as an ambassador click the image

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