The Evolution of the Building Engineer's Job

WASHINGTON, DC—For many years, building owners and managers have had a challenging time recruiting, hiring and retaining the next generation of building engineers or building maintenance employees. In response to this urgent need, the AOBA Educational Foundation (AEF) was created mainly to provide comprehensive and regional solutions for this engineering talent crisis.

“The baby boomers are starting to retire and the generation following up is smaller and not as available. Plus a lot of millennials believe their only path, post-high school, is to go to a 4-year college,” says Kathy Barnes, Senior Vice President, Property Management, Akridge, a real estate services company and AEF Board Member.

Building engineers are not necessarily blue-collar jobs. They are more of a gray-collared job where one works in smart and sophisticated buildings and are more customer-service oriented. Building engineers are exposed to a variety of different technologies, both to assist tenants and also to monitor and control the various building systems. Tenant management-related technologies include digital communication plus utilization of apps to help manage tenant service requests and track preventive maintenance tasks. Building engineer managers now walk around with not only a tool-belt, but also a laptop, tablet and a cellphone.

“Thirty years ago, a building manager could respond to an issue within 24 hours,” says Barnes. “Now they respond in 5 minutes. Customers now have higher expectations.”

Building engineers also help to oversee a commercial building’s automation systems utilizing computer systems and apps that monitor and control the various building systems including lighting, HVAC, life safety systems, lighting, access control systems, CCTV and video surveillance and elevators. As a result, building engineers needs to show proficiency in both tool skills and well as the use of technology.

Building owners are literally putting the health of their 400,000 square foot building into the hands of experienced building engineers, Barnes tells GlobeSt.com. Unfortunately for them, the hiring pool is getting smaller and smaller.

• 58% of real estate executives surveyed said their company found it difficult to find qualified hires in 2018. Source: 2019 SelectLeaders Network Hiring Trends Survey

• 100% of Washington, DC area real estate firms will help pay for industry training for their employees. Source: AEF

• 93,000 / 0. The number of jobs moved out of US in 2017/Number of building operations jobs moved out of Washington, DC region. Source: US Department of Labor; AEF

Internship Details

The AOBA Educational Foundation (AEF) works within the local DC real estate market to develop talented and committed building engineering and maintenance professionals. Founded two years ago, the foundation recognized the need for building maintenance professionals and, as a result, created an extensive 12-week paid internship program which includes weekly, day-long, classroom-based training sessions. For the remainder of the work week, interns receive significant on-the-job training — working side-by-side with experienced building operations employees. The AEF program is unique since it combines classroom-based learning with the application of new skills in a “real world” environment and under the supervision of an experienced tradesperson, says Barnes.

“An AEF internship will require that you become savvy with basic maintenance skills like electrical, HVAC and plumbing, but the most promising candidates will be hard-working, reliable, innovative and customer service-oriented,” explains Barnes.

After all, the job of a building engineer is to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the office building and its occupants.

Join the GlobeSt.com Women of Influence 2019 conference July 10th and 11th in Broomfield, CO, which celebrates the women who drive the commercial real estate industry forward. The event will address the critical role of women in the CRE business. Click here to register and view the agenda.