Apprentice Building Services Engineer Review

I operate across both preconstruction and construction phases, focusing on building services. I ensure designs meet compliance standards and installations are executed to the highest quality. Additionally, I provide daily management and support to the M&E subcontractors to ensure they consistently uphold Kier’s quality standards. I maintain proactive communication with all stakeholders—from clients and consultants to subcontractors and internal site teams. I work across a veriety of different sectors including, commercial, healthcare & education.

I joined Kier straight out of college with limited, if any, knowledge of construction outside of a domestic setting. Kier put me in a position to learn on the job and exposed me to a variety of difficult challenges to face (with support where needed), allowing me to develop my skills exponentially. This includes reviewing, commenting on, and managing the pre-construction process from a BSE perspective, leading the job to a construction-ready state and beyond. From there i have been exposed to the day to day challeneges Both Kier & M&E subcontractors face and what processes are in place to resolve them with the lowest risk possible. This opportunity has allowed me to identify my strengths and weaknesses and find opportunities to further develop my knowledge.

I feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship with Kier. I am given the freedom to be independent within my role while having the safety net of supportive and knowledgeable colleagues to assist when needed. I have the ability to operate across multiple projects (both live and pre-construction) and experience the unique challenges each of them face, while also identifying common issues and applying previous knowledge to resolve them. My manager is involved in my university education and helps connect the dots between my coursework and its real-world applications

I am the first Building Services Engineer apprentice within Kier Construction. This has come with its challenges, as you would expect; however, it has also given me the opportunity to be heavily involved in shaping how my training is structured. Through regular sessions with my line manager, we have developed an effective and straightforward approach to structuring my training. As a result, my apprenticeship maintains a healthy balance between live project work and university education

I am given the opportunity to act independently within my role while also having complete access to support from my line manager. I am encouraged to make mistakes and learn from them. As mentioned previously, my line manager is highly involved in my education and progression within the business. We have regular feedback sessions where my voice is heard, and any concerns are addressed.

My lecturers are friendly and very knowledgeable. We are encourages to ask questions about not only the lecture content, but the overall qualification and how it works on a deeper level. With my lecturers having been in the industry previously they also help in connecting the theory to the real application.

My qualification helps tremendously with my role. This is mainly because i can make mistakes with no consequence, whereas if i made that mistake in my role it could cost time and money to fix. I also like to tie my general experience within my assignments which makes me further understand the content on a deeper level and visa versa for my role.

My line manager arranges CPD sessions through CIBSE every Friday, which we complete. I have also been encouraged to attend CIBSE courses. Kier, as a business, has an Emerging Talent team that helps young people within the company connect with one another. Finally, the Northern team at Kier has created an apprenticeship team that includes all trainees, allowing us to get to know one another and expand our internal networks.

Yes

"The sense of community here is like no other I have seen. You are encouraged to test yourself and are given every possible opportunity to expand your knowledge, network, and experience. Kier breaks the stigma surrounding how apprentices are treated; you are seen as an investment and an asset to the team. You feel as if you are prioritized within the business and that, even though you are just starting out and aren’t fully qualified yet, your voice matters just as much as anyone else’s.

If you are looking for an opportunity at Kier, my best advice would be to show genuine interest in your chosen profession. Do as much research as you can and come prepared with questions about the role and what to expect. Show enthusiasm for any training available from Kier, from the main qualification to additional or optional training opportunities. Finally, research Kier as a business—look into past and current projects, workload, work types/ sectors, and how Kier operates.