The hunt is on for building services ambassadors

SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, has launched a UK-wide initiative to find people passionate about their work to fill the role of ambassadors for the sector.

The initiative seeks people who can pass on real-life experiences of their work to motivate and inspire young people. Ambassadors represent their industry within the sector and ensure that it remains an aspirational career choice, guaranteeing a steady stream of fully qualified candidates for when the UK recovers from recession.

Paul Antino, director of NRT Electrical and Mechanical, took on the role of ambassador and hasn’t looked back since. “It's a way of putting something back into the industry that has served me well over the years. I can also pass on words of wisdom that I learned from my own experiences throughout my career,” he commented.

For the ambassadors themselves there is a huge personal development aspect, allowing them to enhance their own communication skills and profile within the industry. As the title suggests, there is a lot of credibility, profile and respect attached to the role.

Keith Marshall, chief executive of SummitSkills, said: “The Ambassadors Scheme is open to anyone within the sector, from craft technician to technical manager. It is an opportunity to help steer the future of building services engineering, by inspiring young people, sharing personal experience, and motivating new entrants. Being an ambassador for your industry is a truly worthwhile and fulfilling role.”

Working with STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) ambassadors go through induction training and are contacted on a regular basis with details of suitable events in the area requiring ambassador support. Ambassadors are required to support one event per calendar year.