Maintenance jobs might sound pretty ordinary; however, almost every area of the work place requires some kind of maintenance in terms of health and safety, general upkeep, specialist technical support, energy management and much more. It’s a fact that maintenance jobs now offer many diverse career opportunities, many of which are well paid.
The public sector especially, offers
maintenance jobs prospects for those with a wide range of experience, as they are generally required to meet specific and strict criteria due to the nature of use of their premises. Public sector buildings such as schools and hospitals are prime employers of maintenance workers with big projects such as the Building for Schools Future, when in 2006, the Government announced to devolve significant funds — about £3 billion - to local authorities (LAs) and schools to spend on maintaining and improving their school buildings. By 2011, every LA in England will have received funding to renew at least the school in greatest need. By 2016, major rebuilding and re-modelling projects will have started in every LA. Such work reflects a need to fulfill for high quality and professional maintenance and management for those with the right credentials and experience.
Within hospitals and the health service, for example, there is a demand for skilled NHS Lift Maintenance Programmers as well as those trained in other electrical and operational maintenance roles. Energy assessments, fire safety, grounds and exteriors, many different kinds of engineering, asset and stock management are all maintenance jobs that could be available to you right now.
Another large area offering maintenance jobs involve taking care of residential properties owned by housing associations. This involves the maintenance and refurbishment of social housing projects encompassing day to day reactive maintenance. There are also Void Works opportunities, when a property is vacated by a social housing tenant and will be re-let, but may require joiner repairs, plumbing, plastering, painting, fencing, property clear outs, cleaning and garden maintenance.
Cyclical Projects, Term Maintenance and Decent Home Standard Refurbishment Schemes may also sound like jargon but also offer maintenance job opportunities via Contractors, Local Authorities and Client organisations who work primarily within the Social Housing arena. Obviously having previous experience alongside the appropriate and up-to-date qualifications and skills are important, and often essential for these jobs.
For senior roles, experience of managing labour operatives and contractors will also be key. You are likely to be involved with stock investment plans, asked to identify redevelopment and sale opportunities, contribute to tender propsals and commission regular stock condition surveys. Ideal candidates will be confident in liaising with multiple stakeholders and have a genuine desire to continually improve and ‘maintain’!
In conclusion, a humble ‘maintenance job’ can offer a wide range of multi-disciplinary opportunities that can lead to can lead to ambitious roles. Such jobs could see you being involved in influencing the improvement plans on managing, maintaining and improving thousands of council properties, improving communities and earning a great salary!
