The Junior Engineering Engagement Programme

The facilities management industry has an image problem that we want to change. People don’t know about the opportunities it offers, or they think it’s all oily rags and no prospects. This couldn’t be further from the truth!

As an industry, we’re seeing the impact of these negative ideas. There’s an acute lack of new talent and a growing skills gap across the board, which we can’t expect to change if we don’t do anything to help. Which is why we started our Junior Engineering Engagement Programme (J.E.E.P.).

Now in its third year, the J.E.E.P. will be taught in early secondary classrooms across the country, engaging students with the principles of facilities management and engineering. Experiments, group activities and sustainability projects are just part of the immersive syllabus, not to mention a behind-the-scenes field trip at an FM location around the country.

We hope that throughout the programme, students will learn what a career in these industries can look like and that it can be one full of opportunity and success. Good luck to all J.E.E.P. students taking part in this exciting journey!

We are determined to change the face of mechanical and electrical engineering in the UK; to inspire and establish a new and enthusiastic generation of young talent; and to put the UK back on the international map as an engineering centre of excellence.

Our Mission Statement

Foreword from Adam Baker

Adam Baker, Director at ABM UK

We’re delighted to be in a position where schools across the country are interested in the J.E.E.P. initiative and to be working with triple the number of students in comparison to our pilot year.

However, in order to change perceptions, we need to make the programme scalable. That’s why we will be making the programme available to teachers all over the country so they can implement it themselves, with our support.

Research which we conducted in our pilot year brought to life just how big the perception problem is that our industry is facing; for example, we found that over a third of parents don’t know what an apprenticeship is and a further third see apprenticeships as a last resort for young people who fail exams.

However, the J.E.E.P. pilot proved that there is an appetite for programmes like this and that the young people involved are open to learning about new industries and alternative paths to success, other than just university.

ABM UK’s report told us that just 16 per cent of young people considered technical roles to be ‘for boys’, but we know that 89 per cent of the UK’s current engineering workforce is male. That means that for 84 per cent of young people, a gender barrier has been crossed and that engineering and facilities management is well positioned to set the standard for better balance in the future. To make this happen we need to leverage the influence that parents and teachers have by giving them the right information.

University is often publicised as the ‘only’ route but this is not true. Apprenticeships are a fantastic viable alternative, which allows young people to earn while they learn and then, often before they are 20 years of age, have debt-free foundations from which to build a solid, well-paid career. For many, this is the perfect route to a fulfilling and successful career – not enough people know about the breadth and availability of apprenticeships.

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon.
Advocate of ABM UK’s J.E.E.P. programme, Stemettes co-founder and CEO.

Want to be a part of the J.E.E.P.? If you are interested in being part of our Junior Engineering Engagement Programme, please get in touch!

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Interested in an apprenticeship at ABM UK? If you are keen to explore what ABM UK can offer you as part of our apprenticeship scheme please get in touch

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