BEMS controls engineer apprenticeship reaches 100 completions

Training provider Group Horizon has recorded its 100th completion of the Level 4 BEMS Controls Engineer Apprenticeship, the programme it delivers and developed with the Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA), the association has announced.

The 100th apprentice to pass is Alexandra Horrocks, a trainee BMS service engineer at learnd, who passed her end point assessment with a distinction, according to the BCIA.

Horrocks said: "Passing my end point assessment (EPA) with a distinction was a proud and rewarding moment after four years of hard work and commitment."

The BCIA said the apprenticeship has now attracted more than 480 learners from over 130 employers. End point assessments are carried out by Verge 365 and include practical and written tests, it said.

The programme

Group Horizon said the apprenticeship was first launched in April 2021. Wendy Belfield, the BEMS Controls Engineer Trailblazer Chair, has said the first cohort started in September 2021.

The underlying standard was developed by a Trailblazer Employer Group, according to Group Horizon. Skills England's record of the standard shows it was approved for delivery on 3 February 2020, with a typical duration of 36 months excluding the assessment period and maximum funding of £15,000.

Skills England describes a BEMS controls engineer as typically involved initially in designing the building energy management system, with employees both office and site based. The BCIA says the apprenticeship can take up to 36 months and includes its technical course modules BCM00 to BCM15.

Graeme Rees, Interim President of the BCIA, said: "Celebrating 100 successful completions is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to what can be accomplished when industry comes together behind a common goal."

Rees said the BCIA and its Trailblazer Employers' Working Group had helped develop the apprenticeship from the outset. In an earlier Group Horizon update, in which he was described as BCIA President, he said the association had long recognised a significant gap in skills.

Peter Behan, Group Horizon Director, said the milestone reflected the commitment of learners, employers and the training team.

Growth since launch

Group Horizon's own updates chart the programme's growth. By November 2022 the seventh cohort had started, taking total registrations to 112.

The first learner to complete was Andrew Knibbs of P A Collacott & Co. When Group Horizon announced his completion, the provider said more than 250 learners from over 100 employers had enrolled and a further 40 were set to complete before the end of the year. Group Horizon said at the time the programme had a retention rate of over 90 per cent, as recognised by IfATE.

The 50th completion was Russell McGuiness of Schneider Electric. Group Horizon said at that point over 320 learners from more than 100 employers had enrolled.

Milestone	Learners reported
Seventh cohort started (November 2022)	112 registrations
First completion	over 250
50th completion	over 320
100th completion	over 480

The BCIA, established in 2004 following a merger of two organisations, describes itself as the unified voice of the UK building controls industry.