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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.
The building services industry has been concerned for many years about the growing engineering skills shortage, due in part to the diversity of degree courses now available in general and the belief that science subjects are more difficult to study while engineering degrees lead to boring jobs. Of course, those of us who work in the building services industry know that nothing could be further from the truth and that it is a vibrant sector which, since the UK carbon reduction commitment, has become one of the most progressive and fastest changing of all.
The issues that we deal with every day are those that matter most to mankind and to this planet that we all share. The building services profession can make a great contribution in reducing the amount of energy used in buildings and, in turn, is thereby consequentially instrumental in lowering carbon emissions.
The EC Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (Realising the potential, Oct 2006) identifies energy efficiency in the building sector as top priority. This followed on from the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) that was adopted by all EU member states and, through the European Parliament, came into force in January 2003. It was recognised then that the EPBD had a key role in realising the savings potential in the building sector, which was estimated at 28%, and which in turn could reduce the total EU final energy use by around 11%.
Legislation
In recognition of the importance of training, the official deadline by which the 25 member states had to transpose the Directive into national law was extended a little just for the two newest member states and only then with regard to carrying out certifications and inspections, if there was a lack of qualified and/or accredited experts.
The EPBD is considered a very important legislative component of energy efficiency activities of the European Union, designed to meet the Kyoto commitment and respond to issues raised in an earlier Green Paper on energy supply security. In September 2010, this Directive was recast to clarify the original document and to extend its scope in line with the current general shift in focus of EU policy and regulations from carbon emissions to an explicit emphasis on energy performance. In particular, as well as addressing the energy efficiency of new buildings, the revised Directive also recognises the need to renovate existing building stock which would otherwise be responsible for poor energy performance over many years to come.
The provisions cover energy used for space and hot water heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting for new and existing residential and non residential buildings. All new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major renovation are to be nearly zero-energy buildings by 2020. The recitals to the Directive which precede the articles recognise the vital role of properly trained and competent installers and professional experts in delivering integrated energy efficiency and renewable technologies.
This may explain why part of the £180m scheme announced in the UK Government’s recent budget which will provide for apprenticeship places, on-the-job training schemes, work experience and at least 24 new university technical colleges by 2014, will also include creation of a Nobel style prestige engineering prize and manufacturing fellowships for exceptional engineers from business, that it is hoped will generate excitement over careers in the sector.
Invest in education
We can see the need for haste. There is much to be done in less than a decade if the Government is to meet its energy performance obligations. Whilst these Government skill initiatives are pointing the way forward they can’t hope to be making the difference needed in such a short space of time. Therefore, those of us already operating in the building services sector must, even in these financially straightened times, continue to invest in education and training. This includes encouraging existing engineers to work with new technologies and create new solutions or those studying professional qualifications to aspire to engineering in building services and school students to choose specialist subjects that will lead them onto engineering courses.
The industry body, CIBSE, is doing more and more each year to encourage young people into the industry by offering various training options, accrediting courses in further and higher education, and approving work-based training programmes. Fifteen years ago CIBSE and ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers) began a collaboration in the UK to acknowledge the Graduate of the Year, in an Award that Michael Norton, the winner in 2006, says can provide valuable opportunities for career development.
Now working for Atkins Global, Michael believes that winning was a springboard to all the things he has achieved since. In 2008 he was instrumental with others in setting up the CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN). This comprises regional centres, each with a committee that organises social and technical events among young engineers who live or work in that area. In some instances a centre consisting of students may be formed at a place of learning.
CIBSE YEN receives administrative and financial support from CIBSE and there are some visionary companies, both consultancies and contractors that provide support for the young engineers in their employ to continue their career development. The most outstanding, nominated by their young engineers, are acknowledged in the CIBSE Employer of the Year Awards, now in their third year. Of course, CIBSE encourages Continuous Professional Development for all members through accreditation of suitable modules delivered via various mediums.
Encourage involvement
Many of these activities in support of young engineers are sponsored by manufacturers like Baxi Commercial Division which in addition encourages any CIBSE members among its employees to get personally involved in such activities as supporting the Young Engineers in setting up their Network and arranging regional events, judging on awards panels, delivering CPDs and facilitating courses at the company’s training academy.
It is essential to share the vision of the CIBSE Young Engineers of providing a platform for new thinking, novel approaches to design and knowledge exchange, particularly regarding the integration of energy efficient heating equipment with Low/Zero Carbon technologies. It is fundamental in attaining the best energy performance from integrated services installations, for system designers to trust he knowledge of the manufacturers and to allow them to share it with them at the earliest possible stage in a project.
This approach will make the entire supply chain more effective, with knowledge being passed down the line to the next stage of expertise, thus ensuring that integrated high efficiency and LZC solutions deliver the energy and carbon savings demanded of this industry.
Skills for change
Even if the contention that man’s intervention has impacted on global warming is not accepted by everyone, most would find it difficult to refute that energy supply security is of concern at national level for all developed and developing countries. Whatever the reason for focusing on these matters and whatever the drivers employed by Governments to engage individuals, households, corporations and organisations in actively taking relevant action, only by fully informing and changing perceptions and learning the requisite skills for change, will a successful outcome be achieved.
