For Service & Maintenance Engineers no two days are ever the same. They are the people who monitor, repair and maintain all the building services equipment, heating, ventilation, lighting, and air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Service & Maintenance Engineers will have a wide range of knowledge and skills so that they can work out why any particular system has failed. These engineers are specialists in isolating plant, diagnosing faults and putting them right (or calling in other experts to put them right in complex cases). And they have to do all of this as quickly as possible so as not to disrupt working life. Most of the work is carried out in occupied buildings, such as offices, schools, hospitals, factories or shops – so they must plan their work carefully to cause minimum disruption to the client and their staff whilst also ensuring that Health & Safety for al concerned is maintained at all times

Working Conditions
You may work full-time in one building as part of an on site team, or you may be mobile – traveling to different locations as and when you are needed. In many cases, Service & Maintenance routines have to be undertaken when a building is not being used (to minimise disruption) so weekend and evening work may be necessary from time to time.

Service & Maintenance Engineers also act as the representatives of the company they work for and they are often the main face-to-face contact on site that meets and talks to the client to find out what they require and to agree what action is to be taken.

Training
To become a fully trained and competent Service & Maintenance Engineer takes at least four years training, consisting of a combination of college courses supported by practical experience with an employer.

You will attend college on probably a day-release basis to study an S/NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Engineering Services, Heating & Ventilating Service and Maintenance.

You will continue to study this subject to an S/NVQ Level 3 qualification with further opportunity to study an S/NVQ Level 4 qualification in Service & Maintenance Management. When your training is completed, you will have a recognised industry grading as a skilled operative / craftsman who is also eligible for an industry-recognised Building Engineering Services Skillcard.

Entry Qualifications
General skills:

• You will have to show an aptitude for mechanical electrical and practical work
• You will be able to work both on your own and as part of a team
• Good communication and organisational skills are important, as is as a methodical approach to problem solving to break a system down to find out where the problem is
• General health & fitness is essential, and good colour vision is also very important

Specific qualifications:

Either

• GCSEs or SCE standard grades in English, Maths, Science and a Technical subject. You may also be asked to sit further English and Maths assessments at interview stage Or
• General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) or the Scottish equivalent (GSVQs) in Construction and the Built Environment or Engineering
• Your National Record of Achievement or Record of Education & Training will also be considered

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