Q&A their own limits and who know what to do to continuously develop. They should also have an ability to put theory into practice, be a keen problem solver, and be open to constructive feedback. Their enthusiasm should rub off on others and they should be keen to make a valuable contribution. In short, were looking for ambassadors for the industry. Why are presentation skills important as an apprentice? Apprentices need passion, focus and effective communication skills Vince Arnold Master and apprentice Vince Arnolds career from apprentice to running his building services consultancy puts him in the perfect position to chair the judges at CIBSEs rst Apprentice of the Year contest C IBSEs first Apprentice of the Year will be announced on 8 October, and chair of the judging panel selecting the inaugural winner is Vince Arnold FCIBSE, who was an electrician apprentice himself when he joined the Post Office 45 years ago. His career progression shows how much can be achieved as a building services engineer starting out as an apprentice. On one of his early projects, in Milton Keynes, he met a consultant who inspired him to get a degree and become chartered. Arnold studied part-time at the Open University and gained chartership with the IEE (now the IET). While studying, he changed jobs and became a college lecturer for five years. He returned to the Post Office in an executive role and was responsible for its building services standards and policies before joining National Design Consultants part of Royal Mail in 1991. He was part of a management buyout at NDC and ran the companys London office before establishing his own consultancy, Grinstead. Arnold has been volunteering at CIBSE for 20 years; he chaired the membership and registration panel for 12 years and was a professional interviewer for more than 20 years. He chaired the education training and membership committee, and is on the Engineering Council registration standards committee. Here, he explains why CIBSE has launched the apprentice award and what he is looking for in the winner. Why has this new category been introduced? In early 2019, CIBSE became an End Point Assessment Organisation for four apprenticeships BSE Design Technician, Design Engineer, Technician and Site Management. As members of CIBSEs Membership and Registration Panel, we see a number of End Point Assessments for final approval, on completion of the candidates apprenticeships. I am always impressed with the quality and experience demonstrated by the candidates, and it is right to recognise and applaud their achievement. The Apprentice of the Year Award provides a great platform for this recognition. Apprenticeships play a key role in the development of engineers for the future, and can include a degree, leading to Incorporated Engineer. What attributes are you looking for in the Apprentice of the Year? Passion, focus, effective communication skills, an ability to inspire others, and selfconfidence. We like to see candidates that show a level of maturity in recognising Communication is an important skill at all levels and at all times in our industry. It is needed to establish professional relationships and networks. It is important to instil confidence in clients and customers at all levels of our work, from large construction sites through to homes. Looking back on my career in construction and consulting, if anything was going wrong on a project, it would nearly always involve a communication issue someone thought someone said something to someone; it was acted upon, but because of misinterpretation had become an issue. Having the maturity to raise an issue clearly, concisely and with confidence is a very important competence. Engineering can be technically demanding and has its own language, so being able to communicate clearly with the client/customer is important. Have the candidates impressed you? I have been very impressed and encouraged by the quality of this years candidates. Apprentices and graduates, of course are the future of our industry. They bring enthusiasm for sustainable design and building performance across the full range of construction and maintenance. Do you think video presentation will still be important after the pandemic? Yes, I believe the candidates recorded presentation will continue into the future. The new common phrases we are living in unprecedented times, closely followed by turn your microphone on you are muted, are reasonably new to us. But we are all aware of the many cost-saving new ways of working that the current situation has brought us. The new normal is developing fast. Videoconferencing will continue to develop and improve, becoming more efficient and with more facilities. We have all witnessed the reduction in the carbon footprint and cost savings from reduced travel. www.cibsejournal.com October 2020 73 CIBSE Oct20 pp73 Q&A.indd 73 25/09/2020 16:58