I disagree with Dr Strong’s opinion (BSj 12/07) that the “serious and worsening skills crisis” is due to CIBSE’s name and a lack of knowledge among the public about what being a building services engineer entails.

The public probably has even less understanding of what a radiologist, a radiotherapist or a radiographer does. To the best of my knowledge this has not caused a shortage of potential candidates.

Building services is a perfectly good name for our profession and changing it to one of those suggested by Dr Strong would probably result in even less understanding of what building services engineers actually do.

It would be better to try to explain what we do by producing user-friendly publications aimed specifically at potential candidates and posting this information on the institution website, organising talks for potential candidates by speakers who have the ability to enthuse their audience, or possibly even arrange for the profession to be featured on appropriate TV programmes.

D D Lawrence C Eng MCIBSE, Hastings

Source

Building Sustainable Design