Anyone here do Building Services Engineering ?

Outkast_IRE

I will be a fully qualified plumber next year and as long as i get a Merit in my exams in phase 6 i should be able to apply for Building services engineering in CIT and be put straight into the second year , posssibly with the provision of doing an extra maths module .
Just wondering to anyone who is in or has done the course would you reccomend it ? Long term i want to get into teaching/ lecturing Plumbing to apprentices .
One last question its a 3 year course in cit to ordinary degree level what options are there after that if you want to go on to further?

FUNKY LOVER

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I will be a fully qualified plumber next year and as long as i get a Merit in my exams in phase 6 i should be able to apply for Building services engineering in CIT and be put straight into the second year , posssibly with the provision of doing an extra maths module .
Just wondering to anyone who is in or has done the course would you reccomend it ? Long term i want to get into teaching/ lecturing Plumbing to apprentices .
One last question its a 3 year course in cit to ordinary degree level what options are there after that if you want to go on to further?

i completed the 3 year course(ordinary degree).its an ok course i say that because dit bolton street where i done it,is a mess.no coordination and no organisation.can never access a computer and the lecturerers aint to helpful.

however it is an interesting course,but i have heard there is no jobs at all in the sector once you qualify.

you can do higher degree if you pass 2nd year with a high grade,this means doing another 2 years(4 years in total).

Outkast_IRE

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

i completed the 3 year course(ordinary degree).its an ok course i say that because dit bolton street where i done it,is a mess.no coordination and no organisation.can never access a computer and the lecturerers aint to helpful.

however it is an interesting course,but i have heard there is no jobs at all in the sector once you qualify.

you can do higher degree if you pass 2nd year with a high grade,this means doing another 2 years(4 years in total).

Bit of a different setup in CIT thats for sure you have your cert in 2 years , ord degree 3rd year and they currently arent offering 4th year higher degree.
However just from talking to lecturers in the plumbing dept out in CIT they all seem to think that being a fully qualified plumber with excellent exam marks and then getting a degree in building services would put you in a excellent position to get work afterwards either in the country or internationally .

matsil

I am a mechanical engineer by qualification (from CIT) but I work as a building services engineer.

I would not doubt the colleges capacity or ability to deliver a building services course. Basically, building services engineering is a mix of mechanical and electrical engineering - and CIT is well known for excellence both disciplines.

My suggestion to you, would be to look at doing a mechanical engineering course, rather than building services. If you want to go into lecturing, mechanical engineering will go more into the nitty gritty of fluids, fluid flow, pumps, and so on and would generally (in my opinion) be more directly related to plumbing than building services would.

To get a better idea / understanding of building services, I would suggest you visit the CIBSE website (www.cibse.org) and there you will find explanatory literature about the building services industry. If you are based in, and around, CIT at the moment, I would further suggest that you call into the mech. eng. office, and speak with Deirdre (the course secretary) and she will point you in the right direction of the best person to speak too....... who better to ask about lecturing, than a lecturer

BlackEdelweiss

I got my ordinary degree in Building Services last year, not a hope of getting a job, even with an honors degree. I have talked to loads of people in companies around Ireland and they all paint a very negative picture of the future for the industry. Some people have said it will never pick up.

HereIGo

What about electrical instrumentation, are there other courses when the apprenticeship is finished?

matsil

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I got my ordinary degree in Building Services last year, not a hope of getting a job, even with an honors degree. I have talked to loads of people in companies around Ireland and they all paint a very negative picture of the future for the industry. Some people have said it will never pick up.

There are signs of life - but the outlook is pretty gloomy in the medium term.

The last couple of years have been hard, but people need to remember that we have a growing population, and with that will (eventually) come a need for improved infastructure, ammenities, residential and commerical facilities, etc. Yes there is an over supply at the moment, but those of us who watch the markets etc. can see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Every industry is suffering at the moment, construction more than most admitedly, but it doesn't matter what you graduate with at the moment, prospects are poor and the marketplace is tough.

It is getting to a stage now that people have been holding off and holding off and holding off, and saving saving saving, and not spending ....... yes, there are alot of people out of work but there are alot of people in work too and it will get to a point where those people will have to start spending money as there TV's and washing machines break down, their cars start giving trouble, their kids get olders and bigger, and their confidence starts to return......

The days of the golden goose, with 20% annual wage rises and christmas bonuses, are long gone. The days of builders making 50% profit margins are out the window ...... but alot more regulation in the building industry is coming into place now, especially on building services related matters, and so growth will (or should) return to the sector. Alot of building services engineers are jumping ship into different sectors, or going over seas, and retiring ..... so at some stage, opertunities will be created for graduates through attrition also.

The outlook is gloomy, but unless Ireland is going to slip into the dark ages and revert to a 3rd world state then it is going to have to keep pace with the world, so things can and will improve - but "when" is a worrying question, it must be said!

Outkast_IRE

see one of the key factors for me really is the fact that i might get straight into 2nd year of building services , so id have a cert that year and a degree the following year.
However i must look into if there is any such arrangement with the mech eng dept , the route i want to get into long term is lecturing or teaching apprentice plumbers .
I will be in CIT again either next sept or next jan for my last plumbing block and there are a few of the lecturers in the plumbing dept that have helped guys get into college after the apprenticeship is over. So i will enquire when im out there .

Its a huge step for me as i will be going from full time employment to no job and back to college , and i doubt i will be elligible for the grant because im leaving full time employment to go back .

Its a big decision to me the downside of the building services is that its only to ordinary degree level at the moment , like what are the options after this ?? Is there any follow on at CIT you can take?

Whereas MECH ENG seems to go to full honours degree and gives plenty of scope to specialise . but im not sure could i go straight into second year?