Introduction

Councils have a considerable investment in property. They own the premises in which their administrative offices are based – the town hall or civic centre – and libraries, museums, leisure and entertainment centres, theatres, schools, social houses, flats and sheltered accommodation.

Someone has to make sure all this property is safe and in good working order as it is being built and as it is maintained. Building services staff are responsible for its maintenance. The Building Services Engineer is a specialist member of that team with mechanical and electrical engineering training. The work is similar to that of the Heating Engineer or Technical Assistant – Mechanical.

All types of local authority have a team responsible for property matters.

Work Environment

Part of the day is spent in the office but a great deal of time is spent on various locations where council building or renovation work is being carried out. Building services engineers work a basic 37 hours per week but have to be flexible. Some evening and weekend work is required to keep up with the progress of construction work or responding to emergencies when fire or burglar alarms have been activated. Protective clothing is provided and the engineer will carry a selection of tools with him. The work can sometimes be dirty.

Daily Activities

In general, building services engineers participate in housing projects and manage the services element – including drawing up specifications and taking part in site surveys. They are responsible for supervising contracts involving the installation of new heating systems, electrical wiring and electrical testing of the council’s housing stock. They also have oversight of existing systems in built premises.

Their day may start in the office where they will prepare themselves by studying housing plans, make calculations about appliances and equipment needed and costs and attend meetings with others involved in a building project. They prepare written specifications saying how the electrical and plumbing work should be done, what materials should be used and how long the work should take to complete. They may then go to a site for a meeting with managers and inspect work being done. On an on-going basis, they will monitor the progress of the installations, identify defects and, finally, certify that the specifications have been met. This will include an assessment of how the budget has been complied with. It is this signing-off that gives the local authority the go ahead to pay everyone who has been contracted to the project, either in direct building work or in supplying materials and equipment.

But everything does not always go to plan. There may be an emergency call from a council building where a fire has started from an electrical fault or the heating or lighting has failed throughout the building. They must respond promptly. This could entail taking staff from an existing installation to put matters right.

Building services engineers must keep sound written records of all incidents and the general progress of all work that falls within their responsibility. Managers must be informed if there are any serious problems affecting other areas of the building project and forewarned if it becomes apparent that the electrical and mechanical work is going to be seriously over budget.

Skills & Interests

To do the job properly you need:

• drawing board skills
• to be able to compile specifications
• to be a team player
• interpersonal skills
• numeracy skills – to design services
• technical competence
• computer literacy including CAD
• financial awareness.

Entry Requirements

You must be qualified to HNC level – but a degree is often required – and have at least five years relevant experience in a similar role.

Estimated salary range

£15,000 – £24,000

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

You would have access to further training and with suitable qualification could apply for more senior building engineering posts or others in drainage, heating or maintenance engineering. There are prospects of promotion to managerial posts in building control, operations and technical and professional services as well.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Building Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

SummitSkills www.summitskills.org.uk

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers www.cibse.org

Association of Building Engineers www.abe.org.uk

Asset Skills www.assetskills.org

Modern Building Services Journal www.modbs.co.uk

You may find further information about this area of work in your local Connexions service/careers office/school careers library – under BB.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Building Services Engineer vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.