As the demand for sustainable building continues to grow at a considerable rate, Vicky Kenrick from Allen & York explores career opportunities within building services, specifically looking at new roles that are developing within the energy and environmental arena.

The construction industry, including the building services sector, is complex and offers a multitude of opportunities for entry at many levels. There are apprentices and work placements for those wanting to enter through the skills route, and openings for those looking for professional careers, whether with a consultant, contractor or client organisation.

The Home Technology Event which takes place at ExCeL London, from 28-30 June is most definitely the place to be for mechanical and electrical contractors and consultants seeking to find out more about the smart home, or residential custom installation, industry and grow their businesses within this fast-growing sector.

Andrew Lee, International Sales Manager for Sharp Solar examines how the UK solar industry is placed to react to the cuts and looks at where the job opportunities are for those looking to enter the industry.

Only a few days short of its one year anniversary, the UK Government dramatically cut the Feed in Tariff (FIT) rates for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects over 50kW. Whilst potentially damaging to an industry beginning to thrive, the opportunity for the domestic installation market remains as strong as ever.

Paul Hardy, Managing Director of Baxi Commercial Division, discusses the importance of encouraging young engineers into the Building Services profession and the support that can be offered by companies within the supply chain.

The Chancellor announced in the recent budget that the Government hopes to address acute skills shortages in the UK, with plans to make engineering a more desirable profession.

Taking place annually, The Energy Event is held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on the 8th and 9th of September. Here, BSEE summarises what the event has to offer.

The construction industry in the UK is huge, employing 2.1 million people. It is also a very complex industry with over 250,000 firms. Anyone in the industry will confirm that to succeed, you must build up a body of knowledge, and that most of this knowledge comes from experience. Of course, many of us enter the industry with vocational or academic qualifications but these don't always prepare you for the challenges of the construction site, the design office or the plant room.

Heating, plumbing and renewable energy specialist Pulsar direct is showcasing its popular eco training courses at PHEX at Old Trafford from 13-14 October and at Stamford Bridge from 17-18 November. The BPEC accredited training courses cover underfloor heating, boilers, plumbing and solar energy systems.

Attracting some of the most influential names in the building controls industry, over 200 professionals will attend this glittering evening of networking and celebration, so why not join us for a great night of business and entertainment as the whole industry gathers together to mark the achievements of both companies and individuals.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the BSE sector will have a major role to play in meeting the carbon reduction targets set by the Government. Reducing emissions, lowering energy consumption and conserving water cannot be achieved without the sector designing, installing and maintaining renewable and environmental technologies, and providing the best advice to customers.

Attracting some of the most influential names in the building controls industry, over 200 professionals will attend this glittering evening of networking and celebration, so why not join us for a great night of business and entertainment as the whole industry gathers together to mark the achievements of both companies and individuals.

BSEE and the BCIA have once again joined forces to bring you The 2010 Building Controls Industry Awards, an awards programme designed to bring together the entire building controls industry in a celebration of the companies, innovations and people that are achieving the highest professional standards and helping to drive this dynamic industry forward.

BSEE and the BCIA have once again joined forces to bring you The 2010 Building Controls Industry Awards, an awards programme designed to bring together the entire building controls industry in a celebration of the companies, innovations and people that are achieving the highest professional standards and helping to drive this dynamic industry forward.

BSEE and the BCIA have once again joined forces to bring you The 2010 Building Controls Industry Awards, an awards programme designed to bring together the entire building controls industry in a celebration of the companies, innovations and people that are achieving the highest professional standards and helping to drive this dynamic industry forward.

The event is part of Working Buildings 2009 which is comprised of three co-located events: M&E; Total Workplace Management, the UK's largest FM and estates event and Energy Solutions Expo, the UK's fastest growing energy management event. Hundreds of the industry's leading companies will be showcasing their latest developments at the extensive exhibition including Baxi Commercial Heating, Vent-Axia, Comelit Group S.p.a, ADT Fire & Security Plc and Buderus.

Day 1

09:45 Introduction by Chairman: Robert Higgs OBE, Chief Executive, HVCA

The Business of Sustainability

09:50 Climate Change & the Role of the Building Services Engineers

Stephen Matthews, Chief Executive, CIBSE

The Coolmation Group will focus on its comprehensive range of services for the M&E sector at the forthcoming M&E, The Building Services Event. In the light of tightening regulations, R22 phase-out and growing end-user demand to upgrade existing, and increasingly inefficient chiller installations, visitors will be able to explore Coolmation solutions which cover chiller and air conditioning equipment hire, service and sales.

Cistermiser Ltd will display their high quality range of products and solutions for the treatment and cost effective management of water. Their display will include their range of Hydraulic Urinal Flush Control Valves, the Infrared Urinal Flush Control Valve, the Direct Flush, infrared sensor controlled urinal valve, the Easyflush Wave and Walkaway, no touch dual flush WC cistern valves, as well as the Novatap and Novaspout, a hands free infrared sensor activated taps, with proven water saving qualities.

Monodraught will be using its stand at this year's M&E Show to feature a production version of its Cool-phase intelligent passive cooling system, which exploits the latest Phase Change Material (PCM) technology to change the internal temperature of a room according to weather conditions outside.

Keraflo Ltd will be showing their top quality delayed action float valves at the M&E Show. The Keraflo WRAS approved range of float valves are designed to provide an accurate and efficient method of controlling the level of stored coldwater in tanks. Keraflo will display two of their float valves, the maintenance free K Type delayed action float valve, suitable for tanks without raised valve chambers, which can be set accurately in a number of positions actuating the valve at a predetermined difference in water level and the KB Type which is a fully variable delayed action float valve suitable for tanks with or without raised valve chambers.

Vent-Axia, is bringing its innovative Lo-Carbon range of energy efficient ventilation products to M&E - The Building Services Event. Visitors to the stand will see exciting additions to the comprehensive range, including Vent-Axia's Sentinel Kinetic MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) system, the Sentinel Totus D-ERV (Demand Energy Recovery Ventilation) system, and the versatile Quadra domestic fan.

At a time when heating technology is developing quickly to meet the changing needs of the market, Buderus are showing their range of commercial heating boilers, renewables and controls systems at this years show.

Baxi Commercial Division has a prominent stand, once again directly opposite the CPD Theatre from which it will be launching no less than five new products and exhibiting a selection from its established range of high efficiency commercial heating and low/zero carbon (LZC) solutions. Yan Evans, technical director of Baxi Commercial Division and various product managers will be on hand to explain the new concepts as well as the features and benefits of all the solutions on show.

The EnOcean Alliance, together with supporting partners Distech Controls, EnOcean GmbH, Ivory Egg and PEHA, will demonstrate a broad range of EnOcean-based self-powered wireless products for intelligent building automation on their stand.

CoSaf Environments will be launching Seeley International's revolutionary cooling product, Climate Wizard, on its stand. The state-of-the-art product is the most advanced, energy cooling technology ever produced, delivering outstanding cooling performance with previously unheard of energy savings.

Setsquare Ltd will be addressing the needs of lighting in schools on their stand at the M&E Show, focusing on the correct lighting and its control.

In early 2008, SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering developed the London Electrical Project.  This is an adult training initiative open to all electrical contracting businesses within the London area.  Funded by the London Development Agency, the project provides training for candidates who have completed, or who are about to complete, a theory based Level 3 Technical Certificate, enabling them to complete their National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

The right type of training can mean the difference between engaging and alienating a workforce. I spoke to Peter Johnson, production director for Trox UK about their implementation of a strategy which is already making a difference to their bottom line.

When Train to Gain (T2G) funding was launched in 2006, many businesses applied for funding but were subsequently turned away. The original process appeared to be unnecessarily complicated without clarity on how the funding could be accessed, often taking weeks, if not months, to be assessed and accepted.

A report by SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, estimates that up to 10% of work in social housing and 55% of work in private housing may be postponed or cancelled as a result of the recession. In Impact of the recession on the building services engineering sector, SummitSkills suggests that between 67,000 and 154,000 jobs are at risk in the contracting industry.

The glittering awards ceremony took place at the Hilton Hotel, Coventry on 14 May with guests travelling from far and wide to see who would receive these prestigious awards.

Philip Jason Shaw, 20, who works for nationwide building services provider Birchall Ltd based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, scooped the top prize at the 2009 NTA as National Operative of The Year and was also awarded the title of National Heating and Ventilating Operative of the Year. Deemed best of the best, Philip was presented his trophies by Graham Goddard from Unite, and Nigel Vardy, British record-breaking mountaineer.