Careers
Building services engineering plays an important part in all our lives - almost every building contains some form of electrical power, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, refrigeration and plumbing.
It is the job of a building services craft, technician, incorporated or chartered engineer to design, install and maintain these facilities.
Building services engineering offers an interesting and rewarding career of opportunities for life. See a range of career options in the building services sector.
Depending on your existing qualifications, there are different stages on the career ladder of building services engineering:
Craft
Technician/Graduate/Professional
Training
Where your career starts within building services engineering will depend upon a number of things, for example what type of work you want to do and what qualification you achieve.
Craft and technician engineers generally start on an apprenticeship scheme. These schemes lead to a National or Scottish Vocational Qualification Level 3 or 4.
Incorporated and chartered engineers usually study a full time or part time foundation, bachelors or masters degree at a university.
Entry qualifications
Normally, craft and technician engineer apprentices will need at least 3 GCSEs grade C in maths, English and a science or technology subject. Direct entry is open to those over the age of 20 or a member of the existing workforce. In this case the level of entry is assessed at a training centre and is dependent upon experience.
In Scotland a school leaver or person aged between 16 and 19 with at least 3 GCSEs grade A-C or 4 Standard Grades in Maths, English and a Science or Technology Subject can take on an apprenticeship. For Northern Ireland you require 14 points.
Incorporated or chartered engineers will be expected to have A levels or higher grades necessary to gain access to a university course, through the UCAS system.
Careers Map
The SummitSkills' Careers Map provides an overview of career progression routes.
Further advice
More careers advice is available via our useful links page.
