Tomorrow's Engineers Week: Why Building Engineering Is a Career Path You Should Explore

Tomorrow's Engineers Week has returned this November, running Monday 9 to Friday 13 under the theme "Shape our Future". The timing could not be more pertinent. The UK continues to face a persistent skills shortage across key engineering sectors, mechanical engineering included, and closing that gap depends largely on reaching young people before they rule out careers they know nothing about. Last year, more than 60,000 young people engaged with the initiative, many discovering routes into the profession they had never previously considered.

This piece focuses on one of those routes - building services engineering. Often absent from careers advice and rarely discussed in school assemblies, it remains one of the most rewarding yet consistently overlooked pathways into engineering. The sections that follow examine what the profession actually involves, the mechanical engineering careers available within it, how apprenticeships compare to degree entry, and why attracting young talent to this field matters to the long-term health of the industry.

Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2025: Discovering Less Familiar Careers

Schools across the country can register free of charge to take part, with teachers able to download "Shape our Future" resources, lesson plans and videos through EUK Education. These materials go well beyond assemblies and Q&A sessions. They are built to show pupils how engineering and technology solve problems that matter to them directly, whilst actively challenging the outdated assumptions about who belongs in the profession.

The statistics make the case plainly. Students who participate in STEM activities at school are 1.7 times more likely to consider a career in engineering and technology, and 2.8 times more likely to understand what engineers actually do day to day. That second figure is telling. A lack of awareness, not a lack of interest, is often what steers young people away.

Engineering already underpins 19% of all UK jobs and accounts for 25% of job adverts currently posted. Yet careers advice in schools tends to orbit the same familiar disciplines - civil, mechanical, structural - leaving entire branches of the profession invisible to most students. Building services engineering sits firmly in that overlooked category, despite being fundamental to how hospitals, offices and schools operate. The profession also suits the way many young people want to enter work: 36% indicate a preference for technical or vocational routes over a traditional university degree, and building services engineering offers well-structured apprenticeship pathways at every level to accommodate exactly that.

What Building Services Engineers Do

Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of the essential systems that keep built environments operational: water, lighting, heating, air conditioning and lifts. The role varies considerably depending on the employer. Engineers at consultancies concentrate on design and specification, contractors manage installation on site, and facilities management firms oversee ongoing repairs and servicing.

Core responsibilities across the discipline typically include:

• Inspecting, testing and maintaining energy, air conditioning, lift and drainage systems

• Producing technical drawings using CAD and Building Information Modelling (BIM) software

• Negotiating contracts and liaising with architects, surveyors and electricians

• Assessing ageing systems and advising clients on upgrades or replacements

Within the profession, engineers frequently specialise. HVAC engineers focus on the installation and servicing of temperature control and ventilation systems across residential, commercial and transport settings. Service and maintenance engineers, working largely autonomously, diagnose faults across ventilation, heating, water and drainage systems in hospitals, schools and shopping centres. Electrical, façade and public health engineering represent further routes for those who want to develop deep technical expertise in a specific area.

Sustainability has become central to the discipline. The Future Homes Standard and Building Safety Act have raised expectations considerably, with engineers now required to reduce carbon emissions, integrate heat pump technology and assess Energy Performance Certificates, all whilst maintaining full compliance and operational safety. It is this intersection of technical rigour and environmental responsibility that increasingly defines the profession.

Why Choose Building Engineering Careers and How to Get Started

Salary is a practical consideration, and building services engineering holds up well on that measure. Graduate starting salaries typically range from £27,000 to £28,000, more than 20% above the graduate average across all disciplines. Chartered status and accumulated experience push earnings to £45,000 to £50,000, with senior management and leadership positions reaching £70,000 to £100,000. Apprentices fare well too, earning more than double the national minimum apprenticeship wage.

Entry into the profession follows no single prescribed path. A CIBSE-accredited degree in building services engineering, architectural engineering, or mechanical engineering and building services remains a well-established route, typically requiring 2 or 3 A levels including maths. Apprenticeships offer an equally credible alternative, ranging from Level 2 Foundation through to Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship, with most programmes requiring 4 or 5 GCSEs including English and maths. The vocational route carries no disadvantage, demand for skilled engineers is strong enough that employers across design consultancies, building contractors, local authorities, hospitals and specialist equipment manufacturers compete for capable candidates.

Success in the field draws on a combination of problem-solving ability, numeracy, communication skills and competence with CAD and BIM software. Early membership of CIBSE, followed by progression towards Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status, materially improves both earning potential and career trajectory. With net zero targets driving sustained demand for engineers qualified in sustainable, energy-efficient design, the profession offers genuine long-term security alongside technical depth.

Conclusion

Building services engineering warrants far greater attention than careers guidance currently gives it. Strong salaries, clearly defined progression routes, a widening range of specialisms and sustained demand driven by net zero targets make it a profession with both immediate appeal and long-term security. Tomorrow's Engineers Week creates a genuine opening to place this career in front of young people who would otherwise never encounter it, whether their preferred route is a CIBSE-accredited degree or an apprenticeship ladder from Level 2 upward.

The UK's engineering skills shortage will not resolve itself. Addressing it requires deliberate, early engagement with the next generation of talent. This week offers exactly that opportunity, and building services engineering deserves to be central to the conversation.