YEN Chair: Inspiring the future of the BEMS industry to benefit the sector today

To further drive quality standards and provide greater opportunities for young professionals to combat the industry-wide skills shortage, the Building Controls Industry Association’s (BCIA) Young Engineers Network (YEN) was set up back in April 2022.

Since then, the YEN has gone from strength to strength, supporting talented engineers from across the sector in developing and enhancing their skills while giving them a safe platform from which to collaborate and network with other like-minded individuals.

With demand for smart buildings ever-increasing, in no small part due to the government’s target of net zero by 2050, and the aforementioned skills shortage across the building energy management systems (BEMS) sector, the encouragement, support, and nurturing of young professionals in the industry has never been more important.

Following a comprehensive election process, Josh Steel, the Support Division – Sales Manager at Electracom, was elected as YEN Chair. He will be supported by Vice Chair, Stan Thomas, the UK South Sales Manager at Sontay Ltd

Identifying a need for more young people to be encouraged to start careers in the BEMS sector, especially with many of the experienced engineers leaving the industry through retirement in the near future, Josh’s main task will be to nurture not only the existing talent in the industry but also support those taking their first steps in their BEMS careers.

He said: “While there has been some unbelievable talent that has been the driving force for so long now, we’re seeing some of the old greats slowly retiring and leaving massive gaps in expertise. I do believe there is quite the gap between ages and skill sets due to a lack of industry exposure and apprenticeships.

“It’s vital to have organisations like the BCIA developing platforms like the YEN to help build our great industry from the ground up. The key for me is building safe and friendly spaces for people from all different walks of life to feel comfortable to express their visions and be free from judgement to discuss hot topics – all while learning and growing professionally and personally, which the BCIA YEN provides.

“The young engineers are the future of our industry and if we all work hard collaboratively, I’m sure we’ll be able to look back with pride at what we and the young engineers accomplished.”

As the industry continues to come up with new ideas and initiatives, it is becoming increasingly important for employers to keep up. Encouraging and nurturing young professionals is one way of doing just that. Josh explains: “Employers must keep up with the latest tech and offerings. Having such talent, who are passionate and up-to-date with the latest technologies enhances the employers’ delivery of such projects.

“For me, it’s a no-brainer for employers to support their young engineers and the YEN. Young engineers involved in the network will be offered an element of free training, followed by social networking, at no cost to the employer. What the young engineer gets from this day far outweighs them being off road for the day.

“It allows them the time to engage with like-minded people to bounce ideas around in a comfortable environment, which will further develop not only their technical skills but also their confidence to voice opinions and get involved in discussions. This will ultimately cross over straight into the working environment, which benefits employers massively.”

With the sector continually advancing and the importance of building automation and smarter buildings ever-growing, Josh believes the YEN will also help the BEMS industry overcome the many challenges facing young engineers.

He revealed: “The industry is so fast-paced, and the contracting world has so much pressure, meaning it can be fierce and doesn’t allow the time to grow and nurture skills and personal development. Plus, it won’t give the time to get the correct level of training. Often, people are rushed through every day to complete the job to specification and once one job is completed, it’s straight on to another one.

“Providing a stress-free space for conversations in a relaxed environment away from the everyday pressures, the YEN will naturally help young engineers to grow and develop those essential skills when they are learning the ropes.

“Training courses are often so full-on and tend to squeeze in as much info as possible in such a short period of time, meaning people only retain a small amount of knowledge. The YEN tries to build multiple elements into the training, from light discussions through to practical workshops and team building exercises.”

Josh has high hopes for the YEN in 2025 and reveals some fascinating events planned for the next 12 months. He said: “This year, we’re really going to build upon the foundations created by the leadership team to solidify a space where people can come and enjoy each other’s company while learning and developing their own professional and personal skills.

“We have some unbelievable events lined up in 2025. For instance, on 4th February, there will be a YEN Talks Leadership workshop, led by BCIA Inspired Leaders Program Director, Michael Holbrow, and aimed at new, emerging, and future leaders. On March 27th, we also have a visit to the Distech Training Academy, focusing on sustainability and the role building management systems and automation can play in the UK’s journey to net zero. It will commence with a CPD session, followed by a Climate Fresk workshop after lunch.

“These are just the start. We have other events taking place in May, June, and October, and we’re planning two more events between September and December.”