When you work as a building maintenance engineer, you’re in a unique position. By that we mean, you’ll have the opportunity to use your brains and your physical strengths. You’ll find that becoming a successful, sought-after building maintenance engineer requires training and experience. In fact, you must be knowledgeable in the field to compete for the best jobs and to be competent and qualified for assignments as they come up. A strong background in math and science can help. But, the specialized building engineer training you receive from the industry itself will help you build your reputation. Before you know it, you’ll be a top-notch employee and valuable addition to any building engineering team.
Building Engineer Training Through NAPE
Suppose you are working or considering a building engineer career in the Washington, D.C. area. In that case, you’re in a great position to receive training and support from the National Association of Power Engineers Education Foundation (NAPE). Take note, this non-profit is the nation’s oldest engineering association and is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Its purpose is to help building engineers get training and certification to succeed and grow in their careers.
They do this by combining classroom instruction with hands-on training for total immersion into the training experience. One of the best features of NAPE is its ability to help working engineers. At the same time, the help bring on the next generation of building engineers. You can take exams and earn certifications through NAPE as well. If you’re a building engineer, join today if you haven’t already.
Training and Employment Through Local 99
Another excellent option for training is membership in Local 99 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). Local 99 offers an apprenticeship program and provides a four-year training schedule. The curriculum is as follows:
First Year – Steam Applications
Second Year – Electricity
Third Year – Refrigeration (HVAC)
Fourth Year – Instrumentation and Control
These courses will provide a comprehensive education in the essentials for building engineers.
Skills
Building engineers should have both soft and hard skills to advance in their engineering careers. For instance, soft skills build interpersonal skill sets like communication and leadership. Also, they can provide the ability to adapt to various personalities, problems, and situations you may find yourself in. At the same time, hard or technical skills are learned in the classroom or on the job. This is the kind of building engineer training you will receive from organizations such as NAPE or through Local 99.
The industry and workplace determine the type of hard skills required, but generally, building engineers should understand:
Building Operations
Electrical systems
Plumbing
HVAC
Preventive Maintenance
Emergency Operations
Instrumentation
Your Career as a Building Engineer
It doesn’t matter whether you work with a high-profile, national management company. In fact, you might even work for a locally owned management company. And, even if you work for an engineering staffing company such as BMSI, there are many growth opportunities.
Our goal is to work better together, supporting building engineers, and the industry overall. And, if we can help in any way call us today at 301-838-2225.
