Adam Broomfield, Chair of the Skills Working Group

Attracting suitably skilled individuals remains a major challenge across our sector. A shortage of experienced professionals, coupled with limited numbers of new entrants, continues to highlight the persistent skills gap we face. The Â鶹ԭ´´ Skills Working Group was established to help address this issue—supporting workforce development and encouraging fresh talent to consider careers in our fast-evolving, technology-led industry.

During the second Skills Working Group meeting of 2025, which I had the privilege of chairing, it became clear that while we’ve made considerable progress, there remains important work to be done.

One notable area of advancement is the BEMS Controls Engineer apprenticeship, which is currently under formal review by SkillsEngland. With the first cohort of apprentices completing their End Point Assessment, a dedicated group of employers is now collaborating to refine the Standard—ensuring it continues to meet industry needs and remains eligible for government funding.

We also explored developments around competency card schemes, particularly the ECS card scheme for BEMS. Thanks to the efforts of employers, Group Horizon, and the Â鶹ԭ´´, our industry is relatively well-positioned with established apprenticeship programmes and a range of training options, including the Experienced Worker Assessment. However, there is still a need for the Â鶹ԭ´´ to define a clear and comprehensive career pathway to competency for BEMS Controls Engineers—including the next critical area: revalidation. This involves determining how engineers can demonstrate their competence on an ongoing basis, and how frequently reassessment should occur to reflect technological change and regulatory requirements.

Importantly, this challenge is not unique to BEMS; it extends across the wider construction and built environment sectors.

The Â鶹ԭ´´ is committed to developing sector-led solutions, working in collaboration with both member and non-member organisations. As part of this commitment, we will launch a sector-wide consultation this summer, and your input will be vital in helping shape a practical and effective revalidation process. This is an industry-wide initiative that will affect us all—so stay tuned and get involved.

We also have the opportunity to explore a BEMS Skills Bootcamp—a government-funded training initiative that depends on employer involvement. This 10–16 week programme aims to equip participants with the core knowledge required for the role, with employers committing to offer guaranteed interviews to Bootcamp graduates. If successful, this could provide a consistent pipeline of local talent ready to contribute from day one.

To ensure this initiative meets the needs of employers, we will be hosting a series of workshops and webinars, and we encourage businesses across the UK to engage with this important work.

The Skills Working Group meets just three times a year, requiring a modest commitment of around six hours annually. Given the significant challenges we all face in attracting and retaining talent, I would love to see increased participation from across the Â鶹ԭ´´ membership, which now includes more than 200 companies nationwide.

I welcome your thoughts on how we can enhance involvement in the Working Group and am eager to learn from your experiences to improve our approach, ensuring you gain maximum benefit from your participation.

Together, we can build a stronger, more capable workforce for the future of building controls and automation.

Find out more about the Skills Working Group